Former Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek is running for governor, joining a crowded field of Republican candidates seeking to challenge Gov. Tim Walz this fall.

Stanek announced his campaign with a video published on Tuesday, declaring himself a "lifelong conservative" and attributing his decision to Democrats in charge "letting lawlessness run rampant and using the actions of a few bad actors to wage all-out war on law enforcement," over images of prominent Minnesota and national Democrats.

"We need leaders who build bridges instead of burning them," Stanek said in the video. "Who call for understanding instead of unrest and protect our communities instead of bowing to the socialist left."

Stanek's announcement video emphasized scenes from the 2020 unrest that upended Minneapolis after George Floyd's killing. He joins a growing field of Republican challengers who have broadly declared public safety to be a top priority of their campaigns. But Stanek is banking on decades of experience in law enforcement to stand out as he seeks the party's endorsement.

Stanek served as Hennepin County sheriff from 2006 until he narrowly lost to current Sheriff Dave Hutchinson in 2018. Before that, he served as state public safety commissioner, as a state legislator for 10 years and in the Minneapolis police department for nearly two decades.

Other Republican candidates so far include state Sens. Michelle Benson and Paul Gazelka, Dr. Scott Jensen, Kendall Qualls, Lexington Mayor Mike Murphy and Dr. Neil Shah.

In his announcement video, Stanek highlighted election security, boosting the economy, privacy protection, gun rights and ending COVID-19 "lockdowns and mandates" as top priorities. There are no lockdowns in place in Minnesota. City governments such as Minneapolis and St. Paul have enforced mask and vaccine-or-test requirements but the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a federal vaccine mandate for large employers last month.

Minnesota's DFL Party and progressive activists blasted Stanek's entry into the race on Tuesday. They pointed out that Stanek resigned as public safety commissioner in 2004 when it became public that he had used racial slurs while as a police officer.

"Rich Stanek spent his political career mired in inappropriate controversy and disgraced himself by repeatedly using the n-word and defending his use of it," DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. "His repeated use of racial slurs, his long standing opposition to common-sense gun safety measures, and the multiple police brutality lawsuits against him make him unfit for the office of governor and a downright dangerous option for Minnesotans."