Eye on 2010

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.