RACINE - Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett announced Sunday he will run for governor, then promptly came to Racine for his first campaign stop.

Barrett was the surprise guest of honor at an afternoon fundraiser for state Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, who is running for re-election in 2010, at a crowded Wilson's Coffee & Tea, 3306 Washington Ave. The shop, packed with the Democratic faithful, erupted into applause when Barrett arrived just before 2:30 p.m.

At noon, from home, Barrett announced his candidacy to replace Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle after he steps down. Doyle has announced he will not seek a third term.

The major GOP candidates who have entered the race are Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann.

At Wilson's, Barrett said he will file his nomination papers today. With no serious Democratic challengers in sight, he said: "It looks like a pretty clear path to the Democratic nomination."

He met individually with well-wishers for a short time before addressing the audience.

Barrett shook hands only with his left, as his right hand is still heavily bandaged. Sunday was three months to the day that he responded to a robbery in progress and was severely beaten with a tire iron by the assailant.

The last of 10 metal pins in his damaged hand was removed Friday.

Asked if the widely reported incident has boosted his popularity, Barrett said: "It hurt me, but it helped my name recognition, no question about that.

"I'm not interested in doing that again," he quipped.

Barrett has a long political history, including 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected Milwaukee's mayor in 2004 and re-elected in 2008.

On Sunday, Barrett said of his upcoming campaign: "Jobs and the economy are at the top of the list."

He pointed out the Milwaukee area's recent victory on the employment front: Last week, Republic Airlines announced it will establish an airline hub in Milwaukee County. The move by Republic, which bought Midwest Airlines in July, will retain 800 local jobs and could bring hundreds more, The Associated Press reported.

Barrett credited the Milwaukee 7, a seven-county alliance in southeastern Wisconsin, with that victory.

"We need more of those," he told the audience at Wilson's.

Barrett said he has focused on jobs over the past four years as mayor and said, "Racine is not that different from Milwaukee in its economic issues. Fifty years ago, all you needed to succeed was a strong back and a good alarm clock," before manufacturing jobs started moving south or overseas.

"That's left us with some very difficult issues," he said.

Barrett also touched on the state's continuing budget woes and cited his experience dealing with the City of Milwaukee's budget. "I cut $32 million from the last budget and about 350 positions," he said.

With the state budget, Barrett said: "We will have to be even smarter, leaner and more efficient."

"We have to make a case why Democratic ideas will succeed," Barrett said, but added "we have to break through those ideological walls and that partisan rhetoric."