Snyder mingled with donors at a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas on Friday and told at least one attendee that he was a candidate.

Former Minnesota senator Norm Coleman told reporters on Saturday morning: “I met with Rick Snyder yesterday. He’s running. He’s running.”

Snyder, who was recently re-elected to his second term, is a business-oriented and comparatively socially moderate Republican, based on his record in office. A former president and chairman of the board of the computer company Gateway, he won a Republican state primary in 2010 as a first-time candidate and underdog who ran as “One Tough Nerd”.