Several names have been bandied about as possible candidates in the Saskatchewan Party leadership race, but Tina Beaudry-Mellor has become the first to officially throw her name in the hat.

Beaudry-Mellor is the social services minister and MLA for the Regina University electoral district.

First voted into the legislature in 2016, Beaudry-Mellor has a background in teaching political science at the University of Regina.

On multiple occasions, "renewal" of the Saskatchewan Party has been a theme brought up by Premier Brad Wall as a reason for recent changes. It was a word he used again when Kindersley MLA and founding Saskatchewan Party member Bill Boyd announced his retirement yesterday.

Beaudry-Mellor says being fresh into the legislature is an advantage if the party is serious about renewal.

The leadership race is in a one-member, one-vote format. The Saskatchewan Party has 30 days from Wall's announcement (August 10) to establish rules for the internal election.