Forensic psychiatrist Maureen Hackett filed paperwork earlier this month for a congressional campaign in Minnesota’s 3rd District, making her the first Democrat taking formal steps toward a challenge to freshman Republican Erik Paulsen.

Hackett says she remains in “serious exploration mode,” but Federal Election Commission records released over the weekend show she formed a Hackett for Congress fundraising committee Oct. 15. The former U.S. Air Force psychiatrist is expected to make an announcement in the next two weeks.

Democrat Jim Meffert-Nelson, president of the Minnesota PTA, is also expected to announce his bid in the coming weeks. And state Sen. Terri Bonoff, who lost in a Democratic primary for the seat in 2008, has not ruled out another run.