Once he crossed the $800,000 fund raising mark there wasn’t much doubt that financier Peter Schiff was serious about running for the Senate in 2010.

On Thursday, he made it official.

Add the former adviser to the Ron Paul presidential campaign to the list of Republicans eager to take on Democratic Sen. Christopher J. Dodd in 2010.

Schiff, head of Euro Pacific Capital, used an appearance on the MSNBC program “Morning Joe” to declare the exploratory phase of the campaign over. He said the economy is spurring him to run: “I can’t sit idly by and just watch a train wreck in motion.”

Schiff also sent an e-mail to supporters Thursday morning crediting their support with making his campaign possible. “Based on the support that I have received thus far, I fully expect to be facing down Chris Dodd in the general election just 14 months from now,” he wrote.