Six-term Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., says he is "definitely looking" at mounting a campaign against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's reelection bid next year.
"Given an opportunity to do my part to serve and try to change the direction of the state, we are definitely looking at it," Reed told Fox News. "People across the district, across the state, are saying 'you need to take a look at this.' I'm humbled by that, but I'm also energized by it."
Cuomo, who is in his third term as governor, still holds strong poll numbers, but the Democrat has been slammed about his decisions on the state's nursing homes and the COVID-19 crisis.
He initially won national praise and even an Emmy award for his actions against the coronavirus pandemic. However, he is now being hit from both sides of the political aisle after revelations his administration underreported the number of deaths in New York nursing homes that were ordered in the early days of the pandemic to admit COVID-positive patients.
"Gov. Cuomo needs to be taken down," Reed told Fox News Radio's "On Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla" on Friday, predicting the governor's days are "numbered and they need to be because New York State, not only on the nursing home deaths but the future of New York, it doesn't have much more window to get its fiscal house in order."
Later in the day Friday, Reed told Fox News his family had gotten a death threat during last year's election, so "the most critical deciding factor is my family" when it will come to running for governor.
Reed acknowledged a challenge against Cuomo would be "herculean," considering the governor won his third term in 2018 by a 23-point margin, and the Democrat has "already got $17 million in the bank."
But the sooner the decision is made, the better, Reed said.
"We've got a little bit of time here, but we have to get our house in order, the Republican side of the equation," he added.
Several other New York Republicans are also being urged to challenge Cuomo, including Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., who is reportedly being encouraged by influential Republicans to run. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who represents a northern New York district, is also being seen as a possible candidate for governor.