U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, an Oconee County Republican running for governor, has won the endorsement of Fred Thompson, a former presidential candidate, U.S. senator from Tennessee and actor.

Thompson said in a prepared statement: “You just don’t get much more conservative than Gresham Barrett. He’s a freedom fighter who can get things done for South Carolina. As governor, Gresham will work to establish a climate for commerce that creates opportunities for all of the state’s citizens by scrapping the state’s antiquated tax code, reducing discretionary spending, restructuring the Department of Commerce, ensuring employers have access to a highly skilled and well-educated workforce, and aggressively recruiting new businesses to South Carolina.”