New Bedford Mayor ‘Not Ruling Out’ Potential Run for Attorney General

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said he is “not ruling out” the possibility of running for Massachusetts Attorney General this fall.

In a one-sentence statement provided to WBSM’s Barry Richard in response to a query about Mitchell’s interest in the position, the mayor said he’s had recent discussions about running to replace current Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

“I am grateful for the discussions I’ve recently had about the possibility of running for attorney general, and I’m not ruling anything out,” Mitchell said.

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Healey, a Democrat, announced on Thursday that she was running for Massachusetts governor this fall, making official something that had been widely assumed to be true for months. Incumbent Republican Governor Charlie Baker announced last year that he and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito would not seek a third term.

Mitchell, also a Democrat, is a Harvard-educated lawyer who previously was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston and a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C. His resumé includes serving as lead prosecutor for the task force searching for notorious mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger.

Mitchell is also the first mayor in the history of New Bedford to be elected to a four-year term. First elected in 2011, he has been elected four times and is the second longest-serving mayor in city history behind Charles S. Ashley.