An Associated Press report Friday afternoon said state Sen. Hank Erwin of Montevallo is considering a run for lieutenant governor in 2010, a report he calls right now a “rumor.”

“We have been praying about it and discussing it and will make our decision next week,” Erwin told The Advertiser Friday. “It is something that I feel God has led me to consider, and that is what I am doing.”

The two-term senator has scheduled a public event at the Pelham Civic Center on Sunday, April 19 to announce his decision.

The date is special to Erwin as it coincides with the 64th anniversary of when his father, Henry “Red” Erwin, received the Medal of Honor for heroism in World War II.

Erwin said he has spent the past few days discussing the idea of running with key Republican leaders in the state, checking to see if others planned to run for the GOP nomination.

“I have talked with some to see if they were running. If they had decided to run, then I would have not moved forward,” Erwin said. “But, I’ve received green lights all along the way.”

If he decides to run, Erwin would be the first Republican candidate to make an official announcement. Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom Jr., a Democrat, has already announced he plans to run for re-election.

The party primaries are set for June 2010.

If Erwin enters the race, he would be the second District 14 senator to run for lieutenant governor in recent years. Erwin’s predecessor, Sen. Bill Armistead, was the GOP’s nominee before losing to Lucy Baxley in the 2002 general election.

Erwin was elected to the senate seat during that same general election.