In what is a surprise to no one who follows Virginia politics, former Democratic National Committee chair Terry McAuliffe released an email tonight officially announcing he’s running for governor here next year.

McAuliffe, with a tireless schedule of speaking engagements around the commonwealth in the past four years supporting other Democrats, was unofficially a candidate for 2013 from the day his party lost the governor’s mansion in 2009. So far, he’s the only Democrat to show an interest in next year’s gubernatorial race, while on the the GOP side, there may be a face-off between Republicans Bob Bolling, the current lieutenant governor, and Ken Cuccinelli, the current attorney general. Present Gov. Bob McDonnell will not be eligible to seek re-election because Virginia is now the only state in the union that has a one-term limit for the office.

McAuliffe’s announcement tonight included the following: “Over the past four years, I’ve traveled to every corner of Virginia for over 2,400 meetings and events. It is absolutely clear to me that Virginians want their next Governor to focus on job creation and common sense fiscal responsibility instead of divisive partisan issues. If we want Virginia to be the best place for business, we need leaders who prioritize economic growth and move beyond the political issues that are designed to divide us.”