Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski will make his second visit to Happy Valley this year on Thursday, except this time, he’s a candidate for governor. Pawlowski announced this morning on MSNBC that he would join the already crowded Democratic field for Pennsylvania governor.

“This is not a decision that was easily made,” Pawlowski said. “But as mayor of the third-largest city in the state and president of the Pennsylvania Municipal League, I have seen first-hand the damage that has been done to our Commonwealth over the past four years under the current Administration.”

The Penn State College Democrats will welcome Mayor Pawlowski for a speech on the future of Pennsylvania’s youth and public education Thursday, September 12 in front of the Allen Street Gates. It will be one of the first campaign stops on the Mayor’s campaign, which is set to kickoff tomorrow morning in Allentown.

Pawlowski was elected mayor in 2005 and is unopposed for re-election this year. Despite currently registering in the single digits in most polls, it has been widely speculated that Pawlowski would enter the race at some point.

If you haven’t been following, the race for a chance to take on Gov. Corbett in 2014 is quite crowded already. Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz leads the polls so far, but State Treasurer Rob McCord is also polling quite well and is expected to announce his candidacy soon. Former DEP Secretaries Katie McGinty and John Hanger, former PA Revenue Secretary Tom Wolf, Pastor Max Myers, and Lebanon County Commissioner Jo Ellen Litz have all officially entered the race as well.