UPDATED Wednesday, February 8, 2012--5:40p.m.
MADISON--State Senator Kathleen Vinehout is announcing today that she's seeking the state's highest office.

We asked how long she's been contemplating a run for governor; she says she's been working on it throughout the fall.

Vinehout's announcement makes her the second democrat to formally say she's running for governor. Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk is already in the race. This means there will have to be a Democratic primary.

Though Vinehout says there's no way to compete with the amount of money Governor Walker's going to raise, she says she doesn't mind being known as the candidate on a shoe string budget--and plans to run a grass roots campaign. "I ran in 2010 and won when all of my senate Democratic colleagues in Western Wisconsin lost,” she said. “I have a history of running a grass roots campaign and that's the kind of campaign that we're going to run. And I think that the time is right for Wisconsin to have a candidate from the people, for the people."

The senator says she's going to be making the rounds around the state soon: In the coming days she's set to visit Eau Claire, La Crosse, Green Bay and Milwaukee, among other communities.

Posted Wednesday, February 8, 2012 --- 10:52 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Democratic state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout of Alma says she is running for governor if a recall election is ordered against Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

Vinehout on Wednesday joined former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk as the only announced Democrats. Several others are considering getting in, but even if no one does a primary would be necessary.

The recall petitions are in the process of being verified and no date for a primary or general election has been set.

Vinehout is one of the 14 Democratic state senators who fled to Illinois last year for three weeks to stop a vote on Walker's proposal curbing public employee union rights. A farmer, the 53-year-old Vinehout was first elected in 2006 and won re-election in 2010 by 439 votes.

Copyright 2012. The Associated Press.