It’s official: After weeks of speculation, U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra announced this morning that he is throwing his hat in the ring to become the Republican Party’s nominee for Michigan governor in 2010.

The 55-year-old Republican made the announcement on WJR radio and plans to criss-cross the state today, making stops in Detroit, Lansing and his native Holland. 

Hoekstra enters what could become the most competitive Republican field in years, joining state Sen. Tom George (R-Kalamazoo), Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Attorney General Mike Cox and Ann Arbor venture capitalist Rick Snyder — all of whom have announced they are running.

Other possibilities include Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, who said that he would make a decision by Easter, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard and Domino’s Pizza CEO David Brandon, who serves on the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents.

Hoekstra, who was born in the Netherlands, worked for Herman Miller Inc. prior to running for Congress in 1992.