The Club for Growth political action committee on Friday endorsed state Sen. Charlie Ross (R), who is running for the open 3rd district seat.

“If elected, we are confident Charlie Ross will be a committed defender of taxpayers in the House of Representatives just as he was in the Mississippi Legislature,” Pat Toomey, the president of the well-funded Club for Growth, said in a statement Friday. “The U.S. Congress could use a pro-growth champion like Charlie Ross.”

During retiring Rep. Chip Pickering’s six terms, the 3rd has proved to be a safely Republican district. The GOP primary in March should decide the open-seat race.

A slew of Republican names were mentioned throughout the fall for the party’s nomination, but the GOP field has settled at four candidates with just days to go before Friday’s filing deadline. They include Ross, who entered the race with the biggest name recognition stemming from his multiple terms in the state Legislature; businessman David Landrum, who is considered a strong fundraiser; attorney and Rankin County GOP Chairman Gregg Harper; and John Rounsaville, a former official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and one-time aide to both Pickering and popular Gov. Haley Barbour (R).

Former Rep. Ronnie Shows is one Democrat who could make the general election race interesting, but he has not yet indicated his interest in the race.

— John McArdle.