"I'm in."

And with that Michael Ignatieff became the first candidate to officially get in the Liberal leadership race.

Rosemary Barton

And by officially, we mean the first to call a press conference and officially declare he's in the race.

Bob Rae and Dominic Leblanc have said they intend to run, but without a press conference it's not as, well, "official."

Ignatieff made his announcement at the National Press Theatre. Packed with journalists.

But perhaps more daunting, if you're one of the others running, the whole left side of the room was taken up by Iggy's team. Some of whom were with him last time round and stuck by his side even when another guy won, and some of whom have jumped on the Iggy train for the ride this time.

Ignatieff's announcement today is hardly a surprise, but now he has set the tone for the next months of tough campaigning.

He says he will not be "running against" other Liberals, but will be in competition with them. Instead, he says he'll be running against Stephen Harper.

He says he feels he has a better chance than last time because he "listens better" and is "better known" given that he has now been tested in the House of Commons.

And so, it begins.

Rosemary Barton