(CNN) With the end of his second term in sight, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is weighing his political future and says he'll see how a potential presidential run feels this summer.

Hickenlooper, a Democrat who was re-elected as governor in 2014 and is term limited, will leave office in 2018. He told David Axelrod on " The Axe Files ," a podcast from The University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN, that he wants to take some time to sit down and think about a presidential run, but he plans to wait until his departure to make a final decision.

"This summer we'll see how it begins to feel," Hickenlooper said, "You'd have to get much more polished than what I am now, in terms of what my message would be and what I would bring that's different than other candidates."

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) addresses the audience at the Colorado Energy Forum presented by the Consumer Energy Alliance on October 14, 2014 in Westminster, Colorado.

Once rumored as a potential running mate for Hillary Clinton, Hickenlooper said his focus remains on his state. He's pushing economic development into rural parts of the state and overseeing the legalization of marijuana, even though he was publicly opposed to the measure. He noted Colorado's ranking as the No. 1 economy in the country for two years in a row.

"The moment I start a PAC and start talking about what I'm going to do in 2020 not only do I get distracted, but my Cabinet gets distracted and it's a disadvantage," Hickenlooper said. "I've attracted, I think, the most talented team of people I've ever worked with, and we're taking on what I think are the most important issues the state can deal with. I think it's more important to focus on that and finish strong."

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