SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – State Sen. Dan Brown on Friday said he’s supporting one of his own — Sen. Mike Parson, R-Rolla – for governor, as the Republican field for the job readies to grow heading into the summer before the election.

Brown, the Rolla Republican who has backed issues dear to the conservative base like tort reform and helped push a “right-to-work” bill through the Senate this spring, lauded Parson’s conservative credentials, including his efforts as chairman of the committee that passed “right-to-work” twice this spring.

“Mike is a true conservative, and he has led the way on vital issues including protecting our state’s number one industry, agriculture, from attacks by out-of-state interest groups, defending our Second Amendment rights, and standing up against the federal government’s attempts to interfere with our freedoms,” Brown said, in a statement provided by Parson’s campaign. “Mike Parson’s record of fighting for the people of Missouri makes him the right choice to be our next Governor, and I am proud to endorse his campaign.”

The two met on Thursday in Rolla, where Brown took Parson around his district and met with local business owners and the the local newspaper’s editors.

“Dan is a great conservative and a strong voice for the people of Missouri,” Parson said. “I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve with him in the legislature and work with him on a variety of issues, including the Right to Farm bill and this year’s Right to Work measure.”

Parson, who announced his candidacy in May, was the third candidate to join the field, following the frontrunner, former federal prosecutor and Speaker of the Missouri House Catherine Hanaway, and former State Rep. Randy Asbury. John Brunner, a St. Louis businessman, and Eric Grietens, a former U.S. Navy Seal, are expected to launch their own campaigns this summer, joining a field of Republicans vying for the party’s support to challenge the Democratic candidate, Attorney General Chris Koster, in 2016.