(CNN) EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is posturing for higher political office, including a possible run for president in 2024 or later, The New York Times reports, citing people who have spoken to him.

According to those close to Pruitt, he is seen as a likely contender to run for Senate in 2020 if Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe retires, and there is speculation he could enter this year's governor's race; additionally, he has made it known that he would take over as US attorney general if Jeff Sessions is ousted.

"It was always known among elite Republicans that this guy had higher ambitions," Keith Gaddie, a professor of political science at the University of Oklahoma, told the Times. "The question was just, 'Does he want to be president, or does he want to be attorney general?'"

A spokesperson for Pruitt told the Times that he is focused on his current role, which has heightened his standing with Trump supporters for his efforts to roll back environmental regulations disliked by agricultural and fossil fuel interests.

"Administrator Pruitt has utilized a wide array of news outlets to advance President Trump's agenda on regulatory certainty and environmental stewardship," Jahan Wilcox said in an email to the Times.