A national fundraising group that backs Democratic women who support abortion rights, announced that it is supporting Andrea Ramsey in the 3rd District congressional race in Kansas.

Friday’s announcement by the group EMILY’s List was another indication that the 3rd District is becoming more competitive. In 2016, incumbent Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder won re-election with just 51 percent of the vote while Democrat Hillary Clinton edged out Donald Trump with a plurality of votes in the presidential race.

The nonpartisan political analysis sites Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections all rate the Kansas 3rd District as “leaning” Republican, a step below “safe” or “likely” Republican.

The district covers Johnson and Wyandotte counties and a portion of northern Miami County. Yoder first won the seat in an open race in 2012. Before that, the seat was held for 14 years by Dennis Moore, a Democrat who stepped down in 2012 after announcing he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

EMILY’s List was established in 1985 by political activist Ellen Malcolm. Before then, no Democratic woman had ever been elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right. That changed the following year when EMILY’s List helped elect Barbara Mikulski of Maryland to the Senate.

The group’s name comes from its slogan, “Early Money Is Like Yeast — it makes the dough rise.” It is known for making early endorsements, and early campaign contributions, in order to give its candidates an early boost, enabling them to raise more money throughout the campaign.

EMILY’s List also gets involved in state government races. In the past, it has endorsed governors such as Ann Richards in Texas and Kathleen Sebelius in Kansas.

Ramsey is one of at least five Democrats vying for the nomination to challenge Yoder in 2018. She is an attorney who worked as senior counsel for the engineering firm Black and Veatch before she left the private sector to lead Turner House Children’s Clinic, a nonprofit safety net clinic in Wyandotte County.

Other candidates who have announced in that race include Jay Sidie, who challenged Yoder in 2016 and had the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; retired U.S. Army officer Joe McConnell; Pembroke Hill teacher Tom Niermann; and Bonner Springs attorney Brent Welder.