Former Sen. Mark Dayton (D) is eyeing the governor’s mansion in the Gopher State.

According to Politics in Minnesota, a political newsletter, he has hired someone to help launch a 2010 gubernatorial race.

Dayton, who opted not to seek re-election to the Senate last year, twice now has sought and won a public office only to relinquish it after one term.

Dayton is staying active by heading up the presidential efforts of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in Minnesota, the newsletter reported.

— Nicole Duran