After forming a presidential exploratory committee and aligning his national fundraising team but declining to say his intentions aloud, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has finally uttered the words that the state and nation have long anticipated.

“I’m running for president,” he told CNN’s Piers Morgan in a television interview set to air at 9 p.m. tonight. The interviewer had asked whether he’d consider a vice presidential run when Pawlenty responded that he was in the race for the top job.

Aides say he will formally announce his campaign in coming weeks, according to the Star Tribune.