By Sam Wroblewski 630wpro.com

Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee said he is running for President in 2016 during an interview Thursday with CNN.The announcement comes a week after he revealed on his campaign website he was considering a run for the office.

While answering a question on John Berman’s “New Day” Chafee responded, “that’s why I’m running.”

The former governor told WPRO News in an interview his record in the senate sets him apart from other Democrats such as recently-declared candidate Hillary Clinton. Chafee believes the nominee should be someone who didn’t vote for the war in Iraq in 2003.

“It’s a huge mistake, and as i said its relevant today in how we try and stabilize and make the world safer; there’s a lot of repair work from that mistake,” said Chafee.

While Chafee says he is running, it is not yest official. Spokeswoman Debbie Rich tells WPRO in a statement, “Governor Chafee’s campaign is still in an exploratory phase.  He expects to file the official paperwork at the appropriate time.”