Democrat Jim Meffert, the executive director of the Minnesota Optometrists Association and president of the state PTA, formally announced his campaign in Minnesota’s 3rd District Tuesday. The incumbent, Rep. Erik Paulsen (R), is one of three GOP freshmen in districts President Barack Obama won in 2008.

Meffert filed the paperwork and confirmed he was running last month.

In a statement, Meffert said his experience as a non-profit executive would inform his work in Congress. “Running a non-profit has all the same elements of any business,” Meffert said. “We have to set priorities with our budget, benefits we offer to employees, programs we want to continue, and every other item as our revenue fluctuates with the economic uncertainty.”