ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) – Another Democrat has entered the race to succeed retiring U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District.

College professor Jim Read of Avon announced his candidacy Tuesday. Read is a political science professor at College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University. He ran for a state House seat in 1992 and lost narrowly.

Read tells the St. Cloud Times that the federal government shutdown inspired him to run. He blames the tea party faction in the U.S. House for the shutdown.

Former state Representatives Phil Krinkie and Tom Emmer, Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah and state Senator John Pederson are among Republicans running for the seat.

On the Democratic side, Circle Pines activist Judy Adams says she’s running, and Sartell Mayor Joe Perske says he’s likely to run.