Monti Moreno, who ran in the Republican U.S. Senate primary in 1996, tonight will announce he plans to run again, he said in an email.

He said he is "back with a strong message and ready to offer solutions for these trying times facing Minnesotans and all Americans."

Moreno told the Associated Press last month that he would focus on fiscal issue in his 2014 campaign.

"It's time to stop the insanity and stop the spending," he said.

The last time he ran, he said: "Everybody's trying to label me as a right-wing religious zealot, but it's not true. I'm just a normal guy."

According to a Star Tribune article at the time, he "imposed a media blackout on his campaign and attracted attention for distributing AIDS brochures showing homosexual acts....(and admitted to) a few legal and business troubles, a bad driving record, and a pre-Christian past as a drug user and teenage father."

Moreno is the fifth Republican with plans to run against Democrat U.S. Sen. Al Franken.

Much of this first appeared in our Morning Hot Dish political newsletter. If you're not already getting the political newsletter by email, it's easy and free to sign up. Go to StarTribune.com/membercenter, check the Politics newsletter box and save the change.