GOP state Rep. Matt Dean announces run for governor

Republican state Rep. Matt Dean is joining the race for Minnesota governor. Dean joins a field of five other Republicans and five Democrats who've already announced.

Dean, of Dellwood, is the first Republican in the Legislature to enter the race. He says as governor, he would focus on improving conditions for working Minnesotans.

"People are very frustrated, particularly middle-class Minnesotans who pay bills, follow the rules, show up for work on time. They're paying more and more and they're getting less and less and the value proposition is just not there for them," he said.

Dean also said dismantling MNsure, the state's health insurance marketplace, would be one of his top priorities if elected governor.

"We need to kill and bury MNsure and we need to get something that works again," he said. "And if any state can lead the way out, and President Trump has said that states can innovate and lead their way out, we can and should do that."

Dean is a former House majority leader, first elected to the House in 2004.