State Rep. Scott Lipke will take on a larger role with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign during the final sprint to the Feb. 5 Missouri primary.

Lipke was named co-chairman of Huckabee's state campaign Monday. Lipke has worked since June 2007 to line up support for Huckabee, who has the endorsement of 31 Republican state lawmakers.

In a news release, Lipke praised Huckabee's "sincere and authentic" style. "He is a solid conservative who isn't afraid to tell it like it is," Lipke said of the two-term former governor. "As governor, Huckabee cut taxes where he could and made good use of the revenues he had improving roads and education in Arkansas. That is the kind of common sense leadership the country needs right now."

In the only recent Missouri poll, conducted by Research 2000 for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Huckabee ran second to U.S. Sen. John McCain among likely Republican voters. McCain had 31 percent of those polled, while Huckabee stood at 25 percent and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was third with 21 percent.