After almost two years of preparation and media speculation, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will officially declare himself a candidate in the 2012 presidential race Monday, according to the Associated Press.

A Pawlenty adviser with knowledge of his plans told AP that the Minnesotan Republican will make the formal announcement Monday in Des Moines, Iowa.

Come the primaries, Pawlenty will likely square off against other more well-known Republican candidates like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and fellow Minnesotan Michele Bachmann. In the latest Gallup poll, Pawlenty lags behind all three potential candidates in name recognition with 48 percent.

Check Wednesday’s Minnesota Daily for more information.

Update:

Pawlenty released a video Sunday afternoon previewing his Monday announcement – the lastest in his string of movie trailer-esque videos.