Sen. David Hann is not running for state GOP chair. The influential chair of the Health and Human Services Committee is backing Brandon Sawalich for the party's top post.

Sawalich, who made an unsuccessful bid for the position in 2009, announced the news on his Twitter feed this morning.

Who wants to run the Republican Party of Minnesota? That’s the question that has been generating a steady stream of rumors and trial balloons since state party Chairman Tony Sutton suddenly resigned earlier this month.

In late November, a group of roughly two dozen Republican activists gathered at a residence in Edina to discuss the future of the state Republican Party. The meeting included a broad cross-section of the GOP’s notoriously fractious base.

In the five days since Tony Sutton resigned as chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota, many names have been floated as potential replacements. But only one potential challenger -- GOP activist Sue Jeffers -- has stated that they're seriously considering seeking the post. Many others have ruled out a run for the cash-strapped party's top post.