JEFFERSON CITY • State Sen. Scott Sifton said Friday that he was preparing to run for Missouri governor in 2020 — a move that could set up a contest next year between the St. Louis County Democrat and Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican.

“I’m focused on the legislative session that just began, but it’s my present intention to run,” Sifton told the Post-Dispatch, adding that he was planning to officially enter the race at a later date.

Sifton’s announcement comes as Auditor Nicole Galloway, the only Democrat elected to statewide office in Missouri, signaled Thursday that she did not intend to run for the post next year. When asked if she had no desire to run, Galloway said in an interview: “Yeah, I’m here focused (on) being auditor.”

Sifton, 44, is term-limited in the Senate and flirted with a run for attorney general in 2016. He is thought by party insiders to be the only major Democrat eyeing the party’s nomination.

Sifton is a practicing attorney, formerly of the Husch Blackwell law firm. He lives in the Affton area with his son Stephen, 10, and daughter Madelyn, 6. He won a seat in the Missouri House in 2010. His Senate district stretches from the Oakville area north to Brentwood. The seat had been held by a Republican until Sifton flipped the district in 2012.