WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Jack Hoogendyk may have a clear path to challenge Sen. Carl Levin in November after one of his potential rivals pulled out because of a military commitment.

Hoogendyk, a state representative from Kalamazoo, said Friday he was "moving forward with his campaign" after Republican Andrew "Rocky" Raczkowski, a major in the U.S. Army Reserves, said he could not continue in the race because he was being sent overseas this year.

Levin, who was first elected in 1978, has not drawn a major Republican opponent and party officials acknowledge that he will be difficult to defeat. But Hoogendyk said he could mount a competitive campaign, starting with this weekend's activities at the Republican State Convention in Lansing.

"The whole point of this weekend is to build the relationships, the credibility, and the support that we need to take on the giant," Hoogendyk said.

Hoogendyk was first elected to the state House in 2002, representing a largely Republican district. He was narrowly re-elected to his seat in 2006, defeating Democrat Julie Rogers by only 463 votes, or 1 percentage point, and is term-limited this year.

With the departure of Raczkowski, a former state lawmaker who lost to Levin in 2002, the only other Republican in the race is Bart Baron, a Troy engineer who has garnered little support in past campaigns for Congress. The filing deadline is May 13.

Hoogendyk said he had filed all the necessary paperwork and planned to make a formal announcement later this year.

Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has won re-election by wide margins in previous campaigns and is well known by state voters. His committee chairmanship has given him a prominent role in the debate over the war in Iraq.

With Michigan's economy struggling, he has called for renewed attention to the nation's manufacturing sector while criticizing the Bush administration's handling of the economy.

"Senator Levin continues to focus on the issues that are important to the people of Michigan, and he looks forward to a campaign that is centered on these issues," said Levin spokeswoman Tara Andringa.

Hoogendyk said he would challenge Levin's record on defense, spending and immigration issues. He accused Levin of being "a life member in one of the most exclusive clubs in the world."

"There are a lot of voters out there that don't really know Carl Levin," he said.

Levin is expected to have a considerable edge in fundraising. Through the end of 2007, he had amassed $3.9 million in his campaign account while Raczkowski had only about $10,000 in the bank and nearly $90,000 in debt by the end of December. Hoogendyk said he had raised nearly $100,000 during the past six weeks.

Raczkowski, a Southfield businessman, had announced his candidacy last month but found out last weekend he would be sent "back overseas for the global war on terrorism" before next November's election. He served with his reserve unit in the Horn of Africa from 2003 through 2004.

He said he was disappointed that he could not seek the Republican nomination but he would support Hoogendyk in what he called a "winnable but very, very difficult race."

Craig Ruff, a senior policy fellow at the Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants, said any Republican will face a steep challenge because Levin is a well-known incumbent who will benefit from an expected higher voter turnout in a presidential year.

"It would be like a lightning strike on your house. It can happen, but the odds of it happening approach zero," Ruff said.