Though the total number of Nguyen's House endorsements is impressive on its face, he failed to win the support of House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt.

At 43, Nguyen said he plans to devote this decade to public service. His first major foray into that realm was a hard-fought loss in an effort to join the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Undeterred, he decided to aim even higher with his next target, and is now the lone declared Republican candidate to succeed two-term DFL incumbent Mark Ritchie as Secretary of State.

Notable among those who did not endorse Nguyen is Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, who has not ruled out running for the office.

Growe notes that Simon was an outspoken opponent of the proposed voter ID amendment, which Growe also opposed.

Nguyen, who serves as chairman of New Asia Partners and Newport Capital, both Minneapolis-based financial services firms, kicked off his campaign for the state's top elections official at a Capitol news conference.

If the lawsuit is successful, the registry system launched in launched in late September would be halted until legislative action is taken.

Simon's endorsers include some of the most senior members of the House and Senate, as well as the chairs of several of the Legislature's most powerful committees.

Kalin is the second prominent DFL candidate to cite personal reasons for leaving the contest to replace Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.

State Rep. Steve Simon announced on Tuesday that he's running for Secretary of State. The five-term legislator from Hopkins becomes the third DFLer to join the field.

**UPDATED** Dennis Nguyen is seeking the GOP nomination for Secretary of State. The chairman of Shanghai-based investment firm New Asia Partners expects to make an official announcement in September.