Wisconsin's Democratic Party can finally exhale after Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett made it official after months of deliberation: He will run for Wisconsin governor as a Democrat in 2010.

Barrett made the announcement official on Sunday in front of his home in Milwaukee.

"I'm running because I love my family. I love this state. And I'm concerned about its future," Barrett said.

He says he deferred his decision until he was sufficiently recovered from the attack that left him with head and hand injuries three months ago.

The 55-year-old Barrett says he'll build his campaign around the issues of jobs, education and the economy. He says businesses and government need to work together to restore the economy. He says he'll outline specific plans for moving forward in the coming months.

Barrett provides the Democratic Party with a credible candidate in control of a sizable campaign account, something that had been conspicuously absent since Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle decided not to seek a third term and other prominent Democrats moved to the sidelines.

In a conference call with several reporters Saturday, Barrett touted his record of working with business to preserve jobs, expressed confidence that voters in small-town Wisconsin would accept a governor from Milwaukee and explained that his recovery from a violent attack Aug. 15 delayed his decision to run.

"Just from a health perspective, I was in no position to make serious decisions for six to seven weeks after that attack," Barrett said.

Barrett lost several teeth and the use of his right hand when he intervened in a domestic dispute he came across while leaving the State Fair. A 20-year-old man accused of beating Barrett with a tire iron has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental defect.

"At that time I was not thinking about the governor's race. I had to heal and get my strength back."

It was just Friday morning that a doctor removed the last of 10 pins that held his hand together, he said.

Another factor delaying his decision was the time and effort he put into forging Milwaukee's budget, which required major spending cuts and staff reductions. Barrett said his doctors had to rein him in when he tried to go back to work in the mayor's office too soon.

Democratic leaders enthusiastic

Since Doyle bowed out in August, two prominent Democrats, Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, said they wouldn't run for governor. Barrett came under pressure to run, speaking to White House political director Patrick Gaspard earlier this month during a visit to Madison by President Barack Obama.

State Republican Party Executive Director Mark Jefferson said Barrett took too long to decide. "He's going to have a hard time running from Doyle's record," Jefferson said. "He's clearly being dragged into this race kicking and screaming. ... He's looking more like the kid who's being forced to eat his spinach than someone who wants to lead Wisconsin."

Top Democratic Party officials acknowledged they were glad the wait for a prominent candidate was over, but they said Barrett was in an enviable position.

"Running for governor is not something you take lightly, and I can tell you that I and the whole party are thrilled that Mayor Barrett is running for governor this year," state Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate said.

Barrett has more than $800,000 in the bank for the general election, while the Republicans still are raising money to fight each other in the primary, Tate said.

Polls showed Barrett running neck and neck with his leading Republican opponent, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, before Barrett announced his candidacy.

"Scott Walker has been running for governor for six years," Tate said. "I think that shows real trouble for Scott Walker."

GOP rivals cite taxes as issue

Barrett's candidacy sets up the possibility of a Milwaukee-centric contest in the November 2010 general election. Walker's Republican primary rival is former U.S. Representative Mark Neumann of Waukesha County.

Walker and Neumann both said Saturday they could beat Barrett by presenting themselves as anti-tax crusaders.

"Tom is a good guy," Walker said. "But Mayor Tom Barrett's career has been built on raising taxes, and my career has been built on fighting taxes."

Neumann said Barrett would face voters skeptical about his lifelong experience in government.

"What we are seeing at the tea parties is that people are tired of people who've had a career in politics," Neumann said.

Barrett is a former U.S. representative who lost a 2002 primary race for governor. He has been mayor of Milwaukee for nearly six years. He said the tough economic problems facing Milwaukee involved the same difficulties being faced by people all over the state and across the country.

Barrett said he wouldn't immediately unveil details of his platform, but like the Republican candidates he sees jobs and economic recovery as paramount.

Madison biotech executive Kevin Conroy is among the few others publicly considering a run as a Democrat, and he is not expected to run now that Barrett has said he's in the race. Joel Brennan, Conroy's brother-in-law and a former campaign manager for Barrett, has said Conroy's decision is likely to come "within a day of Tom's announcement."

-- State Journal reporter Jason Stein and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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