State Rep. Rex Rice is emerging as one of the favorites in the crowded Republican race to succeed four-term incumbent J. Gresham Barrett.

Rice out-raised the rest of the field in the first half of the year and already received the backing of former Arkansas Gov. and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. On Thursday, one of his GOP rivals for the post, state Rep. Michael Thompson, announced he was withdrawing from the race and endorsing Rice.

“Having a very strong congressman in the 3rd District is still extremely important to me, while there are many capable candidates in this race, I felt it was important to find someone to get behind,” Thompson said in a release, adding that Rice has the character and the experience needed to represent the district.