Former Minnesota Republican governor Tim Pawlenty announced his entry into Minnesota's gubernatorial race on Thursday, saying in his announcement video that he has the "strength and experience to solve problems."
He previously served from 2003 to 2011 in the same role. Current governor Mark Dayton (D.) is retiring in Jan. 2019 after two terms in office.
"Toxic politics are dividing us," Pawlenty said in his announcement video. "I have the strength and experience to solve problems and bring us together."
Pawlenty listed education among his top priorities, saying he would increase funding but also hold schools accountable for better results. He also addressed rising health care costs, the opioid crisis and entitlements.
Pawlenty previously said that he would not run in the special election to replace resigning Sen. Al Franken (D., Minn.), who stepped down after allegations of sexual misconduct.
"Like I said, I'm interested in continuing to serve, but there's a variety ways to do that; running for U.S. Senate this year won't be one of them," he said at the time.
Dayton narrowly beat Republican Tom Emmer in the 2010 election to replace Pawlenty, who chose not to run for a third term as governor and instead mounted an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2012.
Pawlenty's entrance into the race adds name recognition to a race that accompanies two Senate races and at least four competitive House races in Minnesota this year.