Pat Anderson, ex-state auditor, to run for governor

Source: Star Tribune

The former auditor, mayor and comissioner will make official announcement of her candidacy after Labor Day.

Former State Auditor Pat Anderson on Wednesday joined a growing list of candidates for governor in 2010, saying she was a "Libertarian-style Republican" who opposes corporate subsidies and represents the party's shifting priorities.

Anderson, 43, of Dellwood, also is a former Eagan mayor who served as Gov. Tim Pawlenty's employee relations commissioner and helped organize the so-called "tea party" events this spring in Minnesota, part of a protest against big government that featured nationwide rallies.

As commissioner, Anderson helped engineer the merger of her department with the state Department of Finance and administration, a move that eliminated her job.

She is president of the Minnesota Free Market Institute.

The Republican Party has changed for the better, Anderson said Wednesday.

"I think there's much less emphasis on social issues, [and] more emphasis on individual rights and fiscal issues and, you know, frankly I think that's been good for the party," she said.

Anderson said her opposition to corporate subsidies extends to Job Opportunity Building Zones, or JOBZ, a state program championed by Pawlenty that provides tax breaks to businesses to create rural jobs.

"I do not support JOBZ or any program like it," she said. "I think all you're frankly doing generally is moving companies from one side of the street to the next."

Several Republicans have entered the race or considered it, following Pawlenty's decision not to seek a third term. Anderson plans to make an official announcement of her candidacy this fall.

MIKE KASZUBA