Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The country’s first black attorney general, James also served in the state legislature
New York Attorney General Letitia James will announce a run for governor on Friday, ending months of speculation about who would be the next Democratic candidate.
Ms James, 44, had also been approached about becoming mayor of New York City, the Times reports.
She is one of several politicians and former officials who are campaigning to succeed New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Mr Cuomo has not yet announced whether he will run for re-election, but no other Democrat is seriously considered a frontrunner.
“Letitia James will formally announce her campaign for governor tomorrow at an event in Harlem,” Mr Cuomo’s spokesman said.
She has been attorney general since 2014. She was a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has become an important player in the Democratic Party.
It is not yet clear whether she plans to take on Mr Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
Mr Cuomo is one of the most popular politicians in the country, and is among the top two contenders to be the Democratic candidate for president in 2020.
However, he will soon face a primary contest from his former lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, who announced earlier this month that she had filed papers to run for governor.
