Former U.S. Rep. Mike Ross has made his bid for Arkansas governor official by filing paperwork to run for the state's top office.
Ross filed on Wednesday to run for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, vowing to follow the tradition of Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe.
Beebe was first elected governor as 2006 and is barred by term limits from seeking re-election.
Ross is the only announced Democratic candidate for governor. Former U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson and Little Rock businessman Curtis Coleman are seeking the Republican nomination.
Ross told reporters he supports the state's "private option" plan to use federal Medicaid funds to purchase private insurance for the poor and says the program needs to be continued.
The program was approved as an alternative to expanding Medicaid under the federal health law.
