Andrew Swan is first out of the gate in the Manitoba NDP leadership race. (Legislative Assembly of Manitoba)

The first person to step forward as a candidate for the Manitoba NDP leadership — and the premier's job — is cabinet minister Andrew Swan.

First elected as the MLA for Minto in the 2004 byelection and re-elected in 2007, the Winnipeg-born Swan was appointed as the competitiveness, training and trade minister in February 2008.

He resigned from his cabinet position Wednesday morning at the same time that he announced his bid to take over from Manitoba premier from Gary Doer.

The announcement came with the backing of three other cabinet ministers: Health Minister Theresa Oswald, Labour and Immigration Minister Nancy Allan and Conservation Minister Stan Struthers.

Prior to his election win in 2004, Swan practised law at the firm of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman.

A party leadership convention has been set for Oct. 16-17, with the new premier to be named on the final day.

That person will be the first NDP leader since Doer won the race in 1988. Doer resigned to become Canada's ambassador to the United States.

Swan deflated suggestions that he might be a safe choice for leader because he bears a political and physical likeness to outgoing leader Gary Doer.

"I seem to be sweating more than Gary Doer would and if I was Gary Doer I would have an index card with three words on it and that would have been my entire speech," he joked.