Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is giving serious consideration to running for governor of Maryland. Last week, Steele called in for an interview with radio station WMAL, telling the hosts that he and his staff are currently running the numbers on a potential campaign.

“I love my state,” said Steele. “I think that the potential in Maryland is huge. I look at the last 8 years, I look at the tax increases, I look at some of the things they’ve done to drive jobs away and opportunity out the door. And you just kind of say, ‘Ok, can you contribute something?’ So, we’ll weigh it, we’ll see.”

This week, Steele further confirmed that he is seriously considering a run for governor. Steele, who stepped down from his position as RNC chairman in 2011, is now a political analyst for MSNBC. He appeared this week on MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown, and stated again that he’s “looking at it.” He was then asked why he wants to run for office.

“Well, because I love the idea of service,” said Steele. “I think we can move the state in a different direction. I mean, you know, we’ve lost 30,000 employers over the last eight years. You know, our economy is not competitive in the region anymore.”

Steele stated he would make a decision on whether or not to run by the end of the year.

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