State Auditor Rebecca Otto to run for a third term

Updated

Minnesota's Auditor Rebecca Otto, a Democrat, will vie for a third term.

Otto, a former state representative who has occupied the statewide office since 2006, said in a campaign video on Tuesday that less revenue for government is the "new normal" so officials have to look for innovation to deliver public services.

"I would love to continue to focus on that for you," Otto said. "I would love and be honored to be your state auditor again."

The low-profile state auditor's job is to oversee spending by local governments and deliver reports on that spending.

Otto was narrowly re-elected in 2010, a good year for Republicans, with 48 percent of the vote to Republican Pat Anderson's 47 percent. Otto had ousted Anderson on a vote of nearly 52 to 41 percent in 2006, which was a wave year for Democrats in Minnesota.

Republican Randy Gilbert, the former mayor of Long Lake, has long been in the race to vie for auditor and has already become a fixture at Republican gatherings. He will have a campaign kick-off Tuesday night in Long Lake, featuring root beer floats.

Gilbert, who ran for the spot in 2010 and withdrew as GOP convention activists made clear they would support Anderson, says that his real world experience would aid him in the job.

Otto announcing she will vie for re-election cuts off another possible path for Democrats with political ambitions. So far, only one statewide race lacks a Democratic incumbent -- Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announced months ago that he would not try for the election hat-trick, setting off a crowded Democratic race to fill his seat.

Gov. Mark Dayton plans to run again, as does U.S. Sen. Al Franken, and a spokesman for Attorney General Lori Swanson said months ago she, too, will try for re-election.