The political action committee for the conservative Club for Growth on Monday endorsed two 2010 House candidates who are each competing against multiple Republicans in open seat races: State Sen. Tim Huelskamp in Kansas' 1st District; and state Rep. Tom Graves in Georgia's 9th District.

The endorsements offer each candidate a boost from the right as they battle many GOP challengers in pursuit of their party's nomination in Safe Republican seats.

"Both candidates are proven conservative leaders with strong records in support of pro-growth fiscal policies," the Club for Growth said in a statement.

Experienced Republicans continue to emerge in the race to succeed Republican Rep. Nathan Deal. The latest is Republican state Sen. Lee Hawkins, who told The Gainesville Times Thursday he hopes to add his voice to health care reform from his seat in Congress.

"I'm used to taking care of people, and this health care debate has just been going in the totally wrong direction," Hawkins, a dentist, told the newspaper. "... I feel a responsibility to work on this issue along with other issues, like our lake issue, so I've announced to run for Congress."

CQ Politics confirmed with Hawkins' office that the lawmaker is preparing his candidacy for Georgia's 9th District. The Times reported he will make an official announcement Aug. 4.

The Democratic Governors Association in a fundraising e-mail Tuesday highlighted Florida, Alaska, Georgia and Minnesota as 2010 takeover opportunities.

"We know we can take back the governor's mansion in every one of these states. But these are historically Republican seats, and in this crucial election, we won't win them without a fight," DGA National Political Director Ray Glendening wrote in the fundraising pitch.

Three of the races are open seat contests and in the fourth, Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin has yet to confirm her intention to seek re-election.

Bill Stephens, former state Senate Majority Leader, officially added his name Wednesday to the growing field of Republicans seeking to replace Republican Rep. Nathan Deal in Georgia's 9th District.

"Strong, proven leadership is essential in the challenging times we face today. North Georgia deserves a member of Congress who knows them, will represent their interests and knows how to take on the power structure--and win," Stephens said in a written statement. "Given the opportunity to represent the 9th District, I will make sure that the voices of North Georgia are heard in the halls of Congress."

Stephens said he has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to establish a 2010 campaign committee. Deal, a nine-term lawmaker, is leaving the seat open to vie for governor.

Conservative Democratic Rep. John Barrow has been a GOP target ever since his 2004 election to represent Georgia in the House - and 2010 will be no different.

Republican Carl Smith, chief of the Volunteer fire department in the small town of Thunderbolt, Ga., announced plans to challenge Barrow, according to the Morris News Service. Smith is the latest Republican to announce his candidacy in the 12th District race, but he does not enter as the favorite of party strategists.

Republicans actively recruited Army Col. Wayne Mosley, a surgeon who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and surgeon, to run against Barrow in 2010.

Veteran Rep. Nathan Deal announced May 1, just five days ago, that he is running for governor of Georgia. And fellow Republicans who want to succeed him are rushing to get a jump on the open-seat race in Georgia's 9th District -- the most heavily Republican among the state's 13 districts.

Former state Sen. Bill Stephens said Wednesday he is preparing to enter the 9th District race. He said six generations of his family have roots in the district, which shares a border with Tennessee in the northernmost part of Georgia.

"I feel like my DNA matches the district," Stephens said, adding, "And I think this is a crucial time not only in Georgia, but in the country, and I want to be a part of that."

When Georgia Rep. Nathan Deal announced Friday that he's running for governor next year, he became the ninth House Republican to forgo a 2010 re-election campaign. Just four House Democrats have done the same.

That partisan skew of the early 2010 open seats might be bad news for the GOP. The Republicans endured another round of big seat losses in 2008 after losing the House majority in the 2006 elections -- and the party suffered a greater net loss last year in districts that departing incumbents had left open than in districts that incumbents were defending.

There is some salve for the GOP, though, in its early 2010 cycle open-seat situation. The districts that are being left open by Republican retirees or seekers of other offices are reliably Republican-leaning.

Republican Rep. Nathan Deal on Friday officially joined a growing list of candidates interested in being the next governor of Georgia.

Deal, speaking this morning in Gainesville, asked supporters if they desired a governor who would unify voters, acknowledge "the guiding hand of God in the affairs of men," and other qualities.

"If you want a governor who does his own thinking, writes his own speeches and shines his own shoes; if you want these things in your next Governor of Georgia- then this is the deal for you," Deal said, according to his prepared remarks.

Republican Rep. Nathan Deal says he has some news to announce back home on Friday.

Deal said the decision by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle to withdraw from the governor's race prompted him to consider running, and he wants his constituents to be the first to hear directly from him about what he's decided.

"People across the state were looking for someone... And I had to put it into consideration," Deal said Wednesday.

Republican Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle's recent decision to drop out of the 2010 governor's race has prompted at least one Republican to alter his campaign plans: Republican state Sen. Eric Johnson announced Monday his decision to switch his campaign for lieutenant governor to the 2010 governor's race.

Johnson issued a statement saying he was prompted by Cagle's decision to end his gubernatorial campaign due to health concerns.

"Casey is a friend, a fine man, and a great Lieutenant Governor... He has earned the right to be our nominee and deserves the opportunity to take all the necessary time with his recovery," Johnson said.