Former DFL U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, who served three terms in Congress representing Minnesota's Sixth District, planned to announce Wednesday that he's running to unseat freshman GOP Rep. Chip Cravaack, who scored a major upset in winning his seat and has become on of the Democrats' prime targets next year.
Nolan planned to announce the kickoff of his campaign in an early afternoon appearance on the state Capitol lawn, after which he plans a two-day tour of the northeastern Minnesota district.
Nolan is the third declared DFL candidate in the 2012 race against Cravaack, the first Republican to win the Eighth District since 1947. Former state Sen. Tarryl Clark, who lost in the Sixth District to Rep. Michele Bachmann in 2010, and Jeff Anderson, a Duluth city councilor, are already the race.
Though he has been out of Congress since 1981, Nolan has hinted over the past couple of months that he was interested the Eighth District seat, and he has traveled to Washington to meet with Democratic officials about running.
Nolan, who lives near Brainerd, has already been endorsed by two DFLers who had considered running themselves: state Rep. Ryan Winkler and former state Rep. Tim Faust.
His campaign website can be found here.
