Three years early, Gov. Mark Dayton is taking a stand for his 2016 presidential pick.

The DFL governor joined Ready for Hillary, the political action committee supporting Democrat Hillary Clinton's potential run for president, the group said Thursday and Dayton's staff confirmed.

"Everyday, Minnesotans from all over our state and from all walks of life tell me that they want to see Hillary Clinton run for president in 2016," Dayton said in a release. "Hillary Clinton is the most qualified person to be the next president of the United States."

The governor has long been a Clinton fan. Back when Clinton was battling in Iowa in 2008, Dayton has said one of the Clintons would go to speak to any large group of Iowans but if two or three were gathered Dayton would go to sing Hillary Clinton's praises.

There is a lot of time and challenge between now and the 2016 election. Dayton, in his first term, first has his own race to run and win next year. Recent polling found that fewer than half of Minnesotans approve of the job he is doing.

Despite that, Dayton said: "I am proud to join the national movement that Ready for Hillary is leading to show her that, if she runs, she will have a huge grassroots army behind her."

Mark Dayton preparing for a 2008 Hillary Clinton event

Dayton served in the U.S. Senate with Clinton and he also helped fundraise for her presidential campaign in Minnesota..

The governor has a history of picking Hillary Clinton for early backing. As early as 2005, he introduced her as "the next great president of the United States of America." Three years later she lost her presidential bid to now president Barack Obama, who handily won Minnesota's presidential caucus that year.