State Rep. William Tong running for Stamford mayor

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Democratic state Rep. William Tong says he's running for mayor of Stamford.

The legislator confirmed Monday on his Twitter account that he is a candidate and said he "could not be more excited."

Tong's announcement comes days after Republican Mayor Michael Pavia said last week he would not seek a second term. Pavia was first elected mayor in 2009. He replaced Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat who was elected governor in 2010.

Tong was a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate last year, but withdrew his candidacy in May and threw his support to now-U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy.

Tong gained national attention as the only Asian-American Senate candidate last year in the continental U.S. He often shared his story of growing up working at his family's Chinese restaurant.