Hartford (AP) - Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, touting his record and defending his low-key style, announced Monday he's seeking a second term.

Jepsen, a Democrat, told reporters he's had a "terrific three plus years" advocating on consumer issues and representing the state in court. "I want the opportunity to get four more years," he said.

He said he waited until now to formally enter the race because he believes that, as the incumbent, he can quickly raise the $75,000 in individual contributions of $100 or less that would qualify him for public financing.

"The longer I'm functioning as a 24/7 attorney general as opposed to being distracted by the campaign, the better," he said.

Jepsen, asked if he believes he took the right course by avoiding the high-level attention sought by his predecessors and other state officials, said one approach is not better than the other.

"It's just my personality to be low-key," he said. "I also come from a background where mediation and arbitration is preferable to litigation."

Jepsen, who was accompanied by his wife, Diana, at a news conference at the Capitol, said his biggest accomplishment was his high-level participation in a $26 billion national settlement over mortgage foreclosures. In Connecticut, $650 million benefited more than 6,000 homeowners who faced foreclosures and other financial problems.

Southbury lawyer Kie Westby is seeking the Republican nomination for attorney general. In announcing his candidacy in March, he said he wants to limit the power and size of government.

Jepsen, a former state Senate majority leader, was elected in 2010. His Democratic primary opponent, then-Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, was unexpectedly forced out of the race when the state Supreme Court ruled that she was not legally qualified to hold the job. He is the sole Democratic candidate for the post.