Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, D, who was just re-elected on Tuesday to a third term, already has his sights set on a higher office. Rybak filed the paperwork for a run for governor in 2010, jumping to the top of a long list of candidates in the Democratic field.

Rybak announced the move in an e-mail to supporters Thursday evening. "Filing these papers is the first step in the process of setting up the Rybak for Governor campaign," he wrote. "In the weeks ahead, we will be building a grassroots campaign to take our message to every corner of the state."

The popular mayor has not been shy about expressing his interest in the race, and has already participated in several gubernatorial candidate events, so the announcement comes as no surprise. Local observers expect him to be a formidable candidate, but not a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination.

State Rep. Paul Kohls became an early casualty of the crowded race for Minnesota governor, dropping out Thursday because of a lack of support from GOP constituencies.

"I've come to the conclusion that I don't have sufficient support from the delegates to keep going," Kohls told reporters.

Kohls, who has been in the state House since 2002, was not among the top finishers in the state Republican party's straw poll earlier this month. The poll was won by House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, one of the first and most prominent Republicans to join the race after incumbent Tim Pawlenty, a Republcan, announced he would not seek a third term.

Minnesota House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher is joining the race for governor in what looks likely to be the most crowded political contest of the 2010 cycle.

Kelliher, a Democrat, announced on a new campaign Web site Thursday that she had filed the paperwork for a campaign. In a message to supporters, she said she had the experience, commitment and coalition-building skills to lead the state out of its economic struggles. A formal campaign announcement will come in "a few weeks," she said.

Kelliher has one of the highest profiles among a number of Democrats already in the race. The field includes former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton and former state House Minority Leader Matt Entenza; state Sens. John Marty and Tom Bakk; state Reps. Paul Thissen and Tom Rukavina; and Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner.

In what sounded a lot like a stump speech, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak told a gathering of local Democrats last week that he is "very likely" to enter the 2010 Minnesota governor's race.

In a speech caught on video by local online news outlet The Uptake, Rybak told the gathering in Eagan, Minn., "I'm looking hard at entering this race and I'm very likely to enter this race because this state needs to change. Our state, this incredible state that has given so much to all of us, is in trouble." He said his top priorities, were he to run, would be job creation and fixing schools.

Rybak, who is also running for re-election as mayor in 2009, would be a favorite but not a shoo-in should he enter the race. Other Democratic heavy-hitters ialready vying for the nomination include Mark Dayton, who represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2007, and former state House Minority Leader Matt Entenza. St. Paul Mayor Christopher B. Coleman of St. Paul and state House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher also look like they are leaning toward a run.

In criticizing unnamed Republican leaders for doing "everything in their power to dry up my fundraising," Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning didn't give a run-of-the-mill retirement announcement.

Political reporters are accustomed to members of Congress announcing their departure by saying that they've accomplished all of their goals in office or that they "want to spend more time with my family," even in cases when it's clear there are political factors influencing the decision.

But Bunning's goodbye on Monday was high and tight, just like the fastballs he used to throw as a Hall of Fame pitcher.

State Rep. Paul Thissen, a Democrat, will officially announce his 2010 run for governor of Minnesota Thursday, his campaign committee revealed in a press release.

The event, at Thissen's home in Minneapolis, will confirm a bid that already appeared certain, as the candidate formed an exploratory campaign committee in November.

A Harvard University graduate, Thissen boasts experience in both the private and public sectors as an attorney, four-term state legislator and current chairman of the state House Health and Human Services Committee.

But he is joining a Democratic lineup that already contains declared candidates with higher profiles in statewide politics, including Mark Dayton, who represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2007, and former state House Minority Leader Matt Entenza. And the field could grow crowded with others, as the parties prepare for a competitive contest to succeed retiring two-term Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

The Democratic Governors Association in a fundraising e-mail Tuesday highlighted Florida, Alaska, Georgia and Minnesota as 2010 takeover opportunities.

"We know we can take back the governor's mansion in every one of these states. But these are historically Republican seats, and in this crucial election, we won't win them without a fight," DGA National Political Director Ray Glendening wrote in the fundraising pitch.

Three of the races are open seat contests and in the fourth, Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin has yet to confirm her intention to seek re-election.

Republican state Rep. Paul Kohls is the latest to enter the 2010 race for Minnesota governor -- joining a roster of candidates that has grown quickly since GOP incumbent Tim Pawlenty announced on June 2 that he will not run for a third term.

Kohls, who is in his fourth state House term and sits on the chamber's finance and tax committees, announced his candidacy on Thursday. He said in a statement that his campaign will focus "on issues of fiscal responsibility and limited government."

"We need to do a much better job setting priorities," said the resident of Victoria, located in the western exurbs of Minnesota's Twin Cities.

The campaign announcements for Minnesota's 2010 governor's race keep rolling in.

State Sen. Tom Bakk told the Mesabi Daily News that he will officially kick-off his campaign for the Democratic nomination this week. And former GOP state Rep. Bill Haas plans to announce his campaign on Wednesday, the AP reports. Republican state Sen. Paul Koering is also considering a run.

Bakk, who has been mulling a run for the past year, is the only Democratic candidate thus far from the Iron Range region, in rural northeast Minnesota.

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison endorsed fellow Democrat and longtime friend Matt Entenza for Minnesota governor on Monday.

In a letter released by the campaign, Ellison wrote, "Matt will be the strong partner we need to make our work in Congress bear fruit back home in Minnesota. With Matt's help, we can pass health care for all and develop the clean energy economy."

The endorsement was not surprising, given the fact that the second-term congressman and the gubernatorial candidate have been friends since their days as law students at the University of Minnesota. Ellison and Entenza also served in the state legislature together earlier this decade -- and both hold strong progressive policy stances.