GOP Hennepin County Sheriff Stanek Won’t Run For Governor

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Hennepin County Sheriff Richard Stanek has taken himself out of the race for the Republican nomination for governor in 2018.

In a Facebook post this weekend, Stanek said he'll seek a fourth, four-year term as sheriff instead.

Stanek writes that in the past few years, he's worked to address the crisis of untreated mental illness, reduce violent crime, build trust among residents and law enforcement, and fight the opioid epidemic. He says that work has become personal for him, so he's choosing to rededicate his efforts to it.

Stanek is a former commission of the state Department of Public Safety, former state representative and former Minneapolis police officer.

Nearly a dozen Republicans and Democrats have announced or have said they're considering bids to replace Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, who's retiring.