Pat Anderson told supporters she is "headed to the other side of politics."

The former state auditor, who ran as a Republican for governor and then for auditor this year, said in an email Thursday that she planned to become "an independent lobbyist for conservative ideas... I will push causes that establish fiscal sanity, and make government less intrusive in the lives of Minnesota families and businesses."

Anderson in her note noted the irony of her decision.

"During the campaign I was asked by a group of lobbyists what I thought of lobbyists. I replied somewhat factiously "The problem with lobbyists is they exist." I still believe that. But the problem isn't with lobbyists themselves; the problem is that our current "big-government" system creates the need for them," she wrote.

According to records with the campaign finance agency, updated Wednesday afternoon, Anderson hadn't yet registered any clients.