State Rep. Bill Faison, D-Orange, is neither confirming nor denying he may challenge incumbent Gov. Bev Perdue in next May's primary.

Asked for confirmation of rumors that he's been making inquiries about support for such a challenge, Faison said, "At the moment, I think we need to win back the House. I certainly am aware that Perdue has her own problems, including the possibility of imminent indictments against some of her very close associates."

"I want to see us keep the governor's office in Democratic hands," he continued.

"I think her numbers do not look good. I think her situation does not look good. It's possible she may decide to do something else. She may not want to run for a second term. Should that occur, I certainly would be interested in considering a race," Faison concluded

So, is he saying he wouldn't run against her if she's on the ballot in May?

"At the moment, I'm focused on winning back the House," he repeated. 

Perdue has said she intends to run for re-election.

Faison recently called a press conference to unveil a jobs proposal. Minority Leader Joe Hackney's office didn't know about it and didn't endorse it. When the plan didn't receive much coverage, Faison rolled it out again earlier this week, with the support of 34 of his fellow House Democrats. 

"We're trying to move forward with something positive for this state," he said of his plan, which would involve reinstating the one-cent sales tax Republicans allowed to expire this summer to pay for hiring incentives for small business. "We can fix this."