House Speaker Daudt Mulling Over Run For Governor

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt says he's considering running for governor.

On WCCO Sunday Morning, the Republican legislative leader said he'll mull the decision over during the summer, adding that just a few months ago he didn't see himself in the race.

"I kind of decided to myself that I wasn't going to [run], and now I'm back to kind of thinking about it," Daudt said. "But I wouldn't say that I'm leaning one way or the other."

Daudt said his mind changed about the race after he saw that other candidates weren't catching steam. He also described the end of the last legislative session as a "success," despite the current legal dispute between legislative leaders and Gov. Mark Dayton.

Daudt said he'll make a decision about the race either by the end of summer or early fall.

The current pool of gubernatorial candidates includes several Democrats, such as former House Speaker Paul Thissen (D-Minneapolis), U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, and state Auditor Rebecca Otto.

The Republican candidate for governor in the 2014 election, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson, is running again.

Dayton says he won't seek a third term.