Having served as Wisconsin Secretary of State for 32 years, Democrat Doug La Follette announced Wednesday he will once again campaign for re-election this fall.

Democrat Jeremy Ryan and Republican David King will be running against La Follette. La Follette said he believes he is the best candidate because of his proven track record and a long tenure of doing good work can only be a good thing.

“I love my job. I have been doing a great job. I love the people of Wisconsin, and I love to travel around the state,” La Follette said. “I cannot think of a better job.”

According to a statement from La Follette, the Secretary of State’s office has been responsible for various accomplishments in recent years, including advances in communications and providing services to the public.

The office receives dozens of phone calls, e-mails and hits on its website each day, La Follette said. Leading up to the election they are working on further improving the website and phone systems to become more accessible, he added.

La Follette also co-founded Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy association, that has been active for 40 years.

“I have been a leader and have worked hard to protect the environment … I have been doing a good job as Secretary of State for many years, and I am proud to be doing my job,” he said.

Ryan said the body of work coming out of the Secretary of State’s office over the years has served as one of the main reasons he decided to join the race.

When looking for positions to run for, Ryan said he found a lot of people do not really know what the Secretary of State does or who the current one is. That is a major problem, he added.

Taxpayers are giving $1.8 million per year to an office that has lost the bulk of its duties over the years to agencies such as the Department of Financial Institutions and the Government Accountability Board, he said.

“I would like to think our politicians are creating more responsibilities when taken away from them, but I feel [La Follette] has had over a decade to do that and really hasn’t. He has had his chance, and now I feel that it’s time to bring about some change,” Ryan added.

While the 21-year-old Ryan said although some will view his youth in a negative light, he thinks it will benefit his campaign.

“I have always had a strong calling for public service … we need people with a fresh mind…to go into public office with fresh ideas. I feel I am in a very good position to get some new things started,” Ryan added.

In reaction to La Follette’s announcement Wednesday, Ryan said he welcomed him as a competitor.

“I just feel he’s had his time — 32 years is plenty — and it’s been quite some time since he’s done a whole lot of work,” Ryan said.