Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek announced via Facebook that he is running for re-election in 2018, ending speculation that he would seek the Republican nomination for governor.
Stanek, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment, said in the Facebook post: "This work has become personal to me and to my family, and it is with their love and support that I choose to rededicate my efforts for the next four years to this work."
The third-term sheriff is a former commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety and GOP lawmaker and would have been a formidable candidate for governor.
Stanek's decision not to run for governor gives the race more clarity: Rep. Matt Dean, R-Dellwood, Ramsey County Commissioner Blake Huffman and Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson have announced they are running on the Republican side. House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, and several others could also get in the race to succeed DFL Gov. Mark Dayton.
![Sheriff Rich Stanek spoke at a press conference in defense of Hennepin county after Hennepin County was listed in an ICE non-compliance weekly list. Photographed at the Hennepin County Sheriff's office in Minneapolis, Minn., on March 23, 2017. ] RENEE JONES SCHNEIDER • renee.jones@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/MOHSW6MLMUSVTKMHAEJL2OP3HE.jpg?&w=1080)
