Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox is not saying he intends to run for governor in 2018.

But he's not ruling it out, either.

Maddox, 44, addressed the question directly on Tuesday and his answer reflected the message he's been sending on social media for months.

"It's certainly a possibility," Maddox said regarding his decision to seek the governor's seat.

He said the same regarding the upcoming U.S. Senate election to fulfill the unexpired term of ex-Sen. Jeff Sessions, who is now the nation's Attorney General.

Maddox said he's been approached by groups gauging his interest in both, something he attributed to the "amazing team we have here at the city."

But for now, the political climate is too unstable for him to make a final decision and said he likely would know for sure by early 2018.

He said he'd consider the effects of either decision on his family — his wife,Stephanie; 14-year-old daughter, Taylor; and 3-year-old son, Eli — as well as his ability to get elected and his administration's ability to govern effectively.

"There's always the emotional appeal when the people who you trust believe you could do good not only for your city, but also your whole state," Maddox said, "but I don't need higher office to feel professionally fulfilled."

First elected mayor in 2005, Maddox was re-elected in March with nearly 89 percent of the vote in his first challenged race since then.

A former employee with the Alabama Education Association, Maddox saw the former AEA head Paul Hubbert as a mentor until Hubbert's death in 2014 at the age of 78.

To this end, Maddox acknowledged that if he does choose to run for governor or Senate, he would do so as a Democrat.

Doing so could serve to hinder his campaign among heavily Republican voters in Alabama, but Maddox said he does not see it as an unshakable albatross. Rather, he contends that voters want to see results from their elected officials, something he said has been sorely lacking in recent years.

He pointed to his success in both Republican and Democratic parts of Tuscaloosa, although municipal leaders in Tuscaloosa run non-partisan elections.

But he contends that the "D" that would follow his name on a ballot would add to the degree of electable difficulty.

"I think what we've experienced over the last several years is government failing to deliver on its promises," Maddox said. "I've learned in 12 years in this office that it's not about big government or small government, it's about effective government.

"That opinion is not going to change, no matter what office I hold."