Former Financial Services Roundtable CEO Tim Pawlenty officially kicked off a bid Thursday for the top elected office in Minnesota.

In a statement on his campaign website, Pawlenty said he is running to become governor of Minnesota. He previously was governor for eight years before stepping down in 2011 to explore a presidential bid. He became head of FSR in 2012, succeeding Steve Bartlett.

"My campaign for governor will focus on charting a better way forward for Minnesota families who see health care premiums skyrocketing, paychecks not increasing very fast, college costs and student debt rising —all while government spending and taxes climb through the roof," Pawlenty said.

Pawlenty announced earlier this year he was leaving FSR. More recently, the group announced it was merging with The Clearing House Association, with the new organization to be led by TCH Association CEO Greg Baer.

Minnesota governors are not term limited. Current Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, is stepping down after two terms in office. Pawlenty must first win the Minnesota Republican primary election August 14 before facing a Democratic challenger in the November general election. Nine other candidates are seeking the GOP nomination, as opposed to four candidates in the Democratic primary (including a "Capt. Jack Sparrow"), according to the Minnesota Post. http://bit.ly/2EmFWA9

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