Pawlenty Files With Campaign Finance Board: 'Final Announcement Soon'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It looks like a former Minnesota governor will make a bid for his old office this year.

Tim Pawlenty said in a statement that he filed a campaign committee Monday with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, and will make a final announcement on his candidacy "soon."

Speculation swirled for weeks about Pawlenty's possible entry into the already crowded race, and with Monday's filing, it seems more likely than ever.

With statewide name recognition, experience in office and a long list of big-dollar donors who helped him out in the past, the former governor would likely be an instant front-runner for the Republican nomination.

Speculation first began earlier this year when Pawlenty left his high-profile position and a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm as filing deadlines loomed. Now, a scheduled fundraising event in Florida and a campaign website seem to indicate Pawlenty's ambition.

On Monday afternoon, DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin responded to Pawlenty's move toward the governor's office, saying that he is not the leader Minnesota needs right now.

"Our state is heading in the right direction thanks to Governor [Mark] Dayton's principled leadership, and the last thing we need right now is a return to the disastrous policies of Tim Pawlenty," he said.

Pawlenty was Minnesota's governor from 2003 to 2011. In 2012, he sought the Republican nomination for the presidential election.