It now appears to be at least a three-man race in the Republican primary for governor, with Sen. Chandler Woodcock of Franklin County saying he’s in and former Congressman David Emery of Tenants Harbor saying, “I would be surprised if I didn’t.”

Sen. Peter Mills of Somerset County, who had the field to himself for a brief time last week when Peter Cianchette dropped out, already has been campaigning for the past two months.

And, more names are likely to emerge along with rumors of why Cianchette – the perceived frontrunner and party favorite – got out of the race and who the state Republican Party would like to see run now.

Those rumors were in high gear on Friday when Woodcock and Emery both were at Republican headquarters in Augusta for what some described as a backroom meeting on who should carry the party’s conservative banner as compared to Mills’ more progressive agenda.

Party Chairman Randy Bumps confirmed Friday both men had been in the office that morning, but said the party is a big tent.

“The dynamics are different now,” that Cianchette has dropped out of the race, Bumps said. “The party will benefit from and the voters will benefit from a thorough and wide-ranging discussion about the problems facing the state,” and a wide open primary, “affords that,” he said.

Bumps, who volunteers his time as party chairman but works for a living at Cianchette’s public relations firm, said there was no pressure on either Woodcock or Emery to get in or out of the race.

“They should each take the appropriate amount of time to decide,” Bumps said. “It has to be a personal decision.”

Woodcock said Monday he postponed an official announcement scheduled for Wednesday because one of his key speakers was out of town. “I’m in,” he said, and hopes to reschedule his kickoff for possibly late this week or sometime next.

Emery, who said last week he was trying to line up financial support for a run, said Monday, “Well I haven’t crossed all the t’s and dotted the i’s yet, but I’m very close…I would be surprised if I didn’t.” Emery was the first one in the race, but dropped out when Cianchette decided to run.

As for whether the party had pressured Woodcock to drop out because Emery has greater name recognition as a former congressman, Emery would not say.

“Everyone has a different take on this. Obviously as a candidate you’d love to run unopposed,” he said, but competition will “strengthen the party” and eventually one of the candidates.

As for the state committee influencing who is in or out, Emery said he couldn’t think of a time “where the party…quote unquote” told somebody they couldn’t run or “was ever able to do anything about it.”

State Rep. Darlene Curley of Scarborough was still making up her mind as of Friday.

Mark Call, a small businessman from Cornish, said earlier this week he’s exploring the possibility of a run. Call, who owns Call’s Shop’n Save, said he is concerned about the business climate in Maine. Republican businessman Stephen Stimpson of Bangor is already collecting contributions to qualify as a publicly financed candidate.