New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce this month whether he is joining the growing list of candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for president, he said Thursday.

�I�m going to make my decision in the month of May and as soon as we have something to tell you we�ll tell you,� de Blasio said at a news conference on crime statistics.

The announcement of an impending announcement came after several weeks of the second-term mayor saying he would decide �sooner rather than later� whether he�s running for president.

Signs that he is likely to run include trips to early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire and a $5,000-a-head fundraiser at a Boston construction company.

Two former City Hall staffers are working full time on the potential campaign, including Mike Casca, who joined the mayor�s staff in 2017 after working on Bernie Sanders� 2016 presidential run.

Asked about his Iowa operation, de Blasio acknowledged that his political action committee, Fairness PAC, has conducted polling in the state. �The ultimate decision as I�ve said is a personal one and a family one but of course it makes sense to look at other information,� he said.

De Blasio�s possible presidential campaign has not attracted wide support. A Quinnipiac poll last month found that 76 percent of New York City voters don�t want him to seek the Democratic nomination for president.

But de Blasio�s supporters say he has a proven record on issues such as police reform and expanding full-day prekindergarten citywide.

�Bill de Blasio has had a fair amount of big, progressive achievements as mayor of New York City,� said Rebecca Katz, a former adviser who is not working on de Blasio�s possible presidential campaign. �I don�t want to get in his head too much, but my guess is he wants the world to see it, understand it and thank him for it.�

The mayor spoke hours after Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado announced that he was joining the Democratic primary race.

De Blasio, who is term-limited and must find a new job after 2021, denied he would be running mainly to raise his profile and secure a position in another Democrat�s administration.

�I have never run for anything without intending to win,� he said. �And you can look at my track record. I was an underdog in everything I�ve ever been near.�

De Blasio called the field of potential primary rivals �extraordinarily rich,� adding, �If you don�t like the way the field looks on Monday, wait a day or two and it will change.�

(AP)