Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano announced first to News 12 that he is among a handful of Democrats considering a gubernatorial run next year.

The three-term mayor of New York's third largest city said in a one-on-one interview with Tara Rosenblum on Thursday that he is officially testing the waters for a run for the state's top job next year.

"I think the mayor of a big city in New York state is probably the most capable and well-prepared to be governor of New York," says Spano. "We had a 90% graduation rate, no other big city our size did that."

Spano says he wants to give Gov. Kathy Hochul a few weeks to settle into her job. He says he is rooting for her success and will make a final decision later this year.

The Yonkers mayor is no stranger to the political landscape at the state Capitol.

Before winning his landslide victory in Yonkers, the moderate-leaning Democrat spent nearly two decades in the state Assembly.

Spano is not the only Democrat eyeing the job.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has already pledged to run for the open seat in 2022.

Other potential candidates include state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi.