CLEVELAND, Ohio - Famed television talk show host Jerry Springer said he is strongly considering running for governor, but doesn't have a timeline or a concrete decision on if he'll jump in just yet.

Springer, a Democrat, said he hadn't decided - and wouldn't during his visit to Cleveland on Monday - in an interview with cleveland.com before a rally with the Service Employees International Union Local 1199 outside the Cleveland Clinic. After the rally, he said much of the same when taking questions from reporters.

"I don't know that I'm going to do it, but if I do it, you can rest assured that everything that I've - all the progressive ideas I've had throughout my life I would bring to that office and our state government," Springer said.

Rumors have swirled around Springer, a longtime Democrat who is sometimes known as the "King of Trash TV" for his long-running controversial talk show The Jerry Springer Show, as a possible contender to join the four Democrats currently vying for office: former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, former state Rep. Connie Pillich, former Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray is also said to be considering a run.

Should he run for governor, Springer said he didn't want it to be as some publicity stunt.

"This can't be an ego thing," he said. "There are a lot of people that can be helpful. And I can be helpful. Whether I'd be helpful as a candidate would be a separate question. And it's a major commitment."

"It's a serious position and it deserves serious consideration," Springer added.

Springer appears to be taking the decision very earnestly, especially given that his name frequently comes into the discussion whenever an office is open in Ohio. He's already talked to the Democratic Governors Association and is making political speeches around the state.

"This time I'm treating it very seriously because it's a major, major position," he said. "I don't want to say to people, 'Please vote for me,' if I'm not ready to make that commitment."

During Monday's rally with about 150 union members, Springer hit on topics like trade, wages and jobs that are resonating with the electorate now in what sounded very much like a candidate's speech.

"America is under attack," Springer told the crowd. "And I don't mean just by the Russians. And I don't mean that we're under attack just by terrorists. For the first time in my lifetime, I feel sometimes that working class America is under attack by its own government."

The crowd loved it, cheering and chanting, "Jerry! Jerry!" - a refrain made famous on Springer's talk show.

It was a possible glimpse into the sort of populist, progressive candidacy Springer might embark on should he decide to run.

But the time is closing on Springer to decide. The governor's race will pick up within the next month and even a person with Springer's background and fame would have trouble mounting a serious campaign without the proper infrastructure in place.

"The seas will part, the skies will open," Springer joked, referring to when a decision will finally come. "I have to make up my mind in the next month or so because it takes time to formulate the campaign. I realize I'm under the gun in terms of how soon a decision has to be made."

Springer's political interests might be news to some who only know him from his talk show, but he's been active in state politics for decades, including a term as Cincinnati mayor in the late 1970s. Since then, he's spoken around the state at local Democratic Party and union functions, providing a boon to fundraising for the organizations.

His show has received massive amounts of criticism for featuring crass, salacious subjects. It was often criticized as the lowest common denominator on daytime television.

Springer said he realized this and didn't think it would be a distraction in a possible gubernatorial run. He's called the show "silly" for decades.

"This election wouldn't be about who gets the Emmy," he said. "Is my show stupid? Yeah, I say that all the time. Why make a statement on a television show when once every four years you get to choose who your governor is going to be or six years who your senator" is going to be.