GOP State Sen. Michelle Benson has announced her campaign to become Minnesota's first woman governor in state history.
The Ham Lake Republican made her announcement late Tuesday night on YouTube and is scheduled to make a formal announcement Wednesday morning in Blaine.
"Minnesota should be a place where dreams can grow, where families succeed" Benson said in the video.
Benson has been a consistent critic of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and criticized the DFL in her announcement.
"I see a greater need before us today, our Governor is not the voice of Minnesota," Benson wrote. "He is being controlled by the ventriloquists on the extreme left who want to defund our police, raise taxes, make the dream of entrepreneurship harder, mandate behavior in the name of public health, and dictate to you what health decisions you should make for your family."
Benson is in her fourth term in the Minnesota Senate.
Governor Walz has yet to formally launch his re-election bid.