CINCINNATI (AP) — Mayor John Cranley of Cincinnati said Friday he is exploring a run for Ohio governor in 2022.

The Democrat said he thinks Ohio is “falling behind and must do better.” He pointed to Cincinnati’s growth and progress in recent years that have seen more riverfront development and old neighborhoods revitalized.

Cranley, 45, is in his second four-year term as mayor and is term-limited against running again in 2021. The former city councilman, a Harvard Law School alumnus, twice lost bids to unseat veteran Republican congressman Steve Chabot of Cincinnati.

Several other Democrats are considered potential challengers to first-term Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in Ohio, a state that has been trending Republican in statewide elections.