Phoenix Mayor, Greg Stanton Considering Secretary of State Run

So apparently Kelli Ward is not the only one already thinking about 2018. ABC15 today is reporting that Phonix Mayor Greg Stanton is considering a run for Secretary of State in 2018. The Phoenix native has been mayor of Phoenix since 2011.

Currently of office is held by rising Republican star Michelle Reagan, who has not yet announced if she will seek re-election. Stanton is a progressive Democrat who believes in amnesty for illegal immigrants and a higher, government mandated minimum wage, and recently visited Mexico on a trade mission.

Stanton's biography on the city of Phoenix website reads:

Since taking office in 2012, Mayor Greg Stanton has worked tirelessly to build a modern economy that works for every Phoenix family. By boosting trade with Mexico, investing in the biosciences, and lifting up local small business, Stanton is leading the way to create an innovation-based, export economy built to last. Stanton is committed to making our community a more welcoming and open place. Under his leadership, Phoenix became the  first U.S. city to  end chronic homelessness among veterans.  Phoenix also earned national recognition as a leader on LGBT issues, and became the first Arizona city to earn a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's municipal equality index.

ABC15 reports:

Stanton, a Democrat, transferred his mayoral campaign donations into an account for Secretary of State Tuesday. It's required under a state campaign finance law.

While the mayor's second term does not end until 2019, Stanton would have to run in 2018 for Secretary of State, currently occupied by Michele Reagan.

Andy Barr, a spokesman for Stanton, noted that Tuesday's filing is not a candidacy announcement. But, he is considering it.

"In the coming months, I will take a serious look at future opportunities to continue to serve the people of Arizona," Stanton said in a statement.