Washington (CNN) Former Minnesota Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty is looking for a new job -- his old one.

In a video announcement Thursday afternoon , Pawlenty officially declared himself a candidate for Minnesota governor ahead of the election this year.

A Republican familiar with Pawlenty's plans told CNN prior to the video release that the former governor and previous presidential hopeful is set to make a formal announcement on Friday.

In the video, Pawlenty touts his experience governing the state and claims "political correctness" was leading to undocumented immigrants receiving state benefits.

"Let's stop hiding behind political correctness and make sure people getting government benefits are here legally," he said. "That's a no-brainer."

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