The late Sen. John McCain’s former chief of staff is considering running for his former boss’ seat as a Democrat.

Grant Woods served as the attorney general for Arizona from 1991 to 1999 and was a chief of staff for McCain when he was a congressman in the 1980s.

Woods confirmed to CBS News on Thursday he was considering running and told Capitol Media Services that McCain’s passing influenced him.

“The country, I think, is really in a chaotic, difficult place,” he said. “So I have to do some real soul searching and just make a decision here.”

Despite working for a Republican senator and being a member of the GOP while attorney general, Woods said it wasn’t a “realistic possibility” for him to run for Senate as a Republican.