Updated at 2 p.m. with information about potential third Democratic candidate.
The Republican primary for lieutenant governor of Missouri may get even more crowded.
State Sen. Luann Ridgeway, a Republican from the Kansas City area, said Monday she is "very committed" to the race, though she has not officially declared her candidacy.
Ridgeway says she would bring a conservative voice to the race. She says she's opposed to the federal overhaul of health insurance, and would seek to revamp tax credit programs.
Ridegway would be the fourth person to enter the GOP race. Incumbent Peter Kinder announced in November that he would seek a third term rather than run for governor. State Sen. Brad Lager and attorney Mike Carter have already announced their intentions to challenge Kinder. Carter ran as a Democrat in 2008.
Former state auditor Susan Montee and state conversation commissioner Becky Plattner are seeking the Democratic nomination. Judy Baker, the former regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Humand Services, may also seek the Democratic nod. Baker, from Columbia, is also a former state representative who ran for Congress in 2008.
