The burgeoning field of candidates looking replace Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., continued to grow this week.

On Tuesday, one Republican — finance consultant Ron Walters Jr. — jumped in the race. Meanwhile, another GOP contender — Del. Suzette Raines — indicated her interested in joining the field.

“We need to move West Virginia down the right path to an economically prosperous future,” Walters said in his campaign announcement statement. “I will make a difference in the fight against higher taxes and over-burdensome regulation. In addition, I know this district intimately, having grown up in the Charleston area with deep family roots in the Eastern Panhandle.”

Walters joins several candidates seeking to succeed Capito, who is running for Senate in 2014. Additionally, Raines told a local radio program that she was considering a run and a decision is imminent.

“I would say there’s a strong chance I’m going to get in, and that’s simply because of the support that people have committed, if I do choose to get in,” she told West Virginia Metro News on Tuesday. She also discussed her interest on Facebook.

They would join an already growing field of Republicans who have either filed their candidacy or are considering running:

• Ex-U.S. International Trade Commissioner Charlotte Lane began building her campaign in early July and is positioned as the establishment favorite in the GOP primary.
• Ex-Maryland GOP Chairman Alex Mooney announced his campaign in early June.
• Former state Del. Larry V. Faircloth announced his candidacy in January. He has yet to file a statement of candidacy, according to Federal Election Commission records.
• Former state Sen. Steve Harrison told CQ Roll Call in July that he is “leaning heavily toward running” and expects to make an announcement “later in the summer.”