Out Maryland State Senator Richard Madaleno, a Democrat from Montgomery County, said this week that he's considering a run for governor.

A poll conducted last year showed Governor Larry Hogan, Maryland's second Republican governor in nearly 50 years, with a strong job approval rating at 70 percent. A majority of Democrats (53%) said they either strongly approve or somewhat approve of the job Hogan is doing.

When asked by a The Baltimore Sun reporter about his plans, Madaleno replied that he could be included on the list of Democrats considering a run against Hogan next year.

Among the Democrats on that list is Delegate Maggie McIntosh of Baltimore City, an out lesbian who said in November that she might challenge Hogan.

Other possible Democratic candidates are strong supporters of LGBT rights, including former NAACP national CEO Benjamin Jealous.

When first elected to the Senate in 2006 after serving a term in the House of Delegates, Madaleno, 51, became the chamber's first openly gay member.