COEUR d’ALENE — State Rep. Luke Malek is considering the job of Idaho Secretary of State.

“I haven’t ruled it out,” the Coeur d’Alene Republican said Friday. He’ll have to make a final decision in the next couple of weeks, he said.

It won’t be easy, though, because he’s enjoying being a state legislator.

“It’s hard to think about leaving my job and my constituents,” he said.

He said he was approached by someone a couple of weeks ago about a run for the statewide office. He’d never considered it before, he said.

His education and work experience are a good fit to lead the office, he said. A graduate of the University of Idaho’s law school, he’s a former Kootenai County deputy prosecutor and served Jim Risch as North Idaho regional director when Risch was governor.

Malek currently is director of legal affairs and program development at Heritage Health.

He’s attracted to the secretary of state’s role of working with businesses and on elections.

He said he wouldn’t even be considering a run for the office if current Secretary of State Ben Ysursa were running again.

“I would not have taken on the incumbent,” Malek said.

When asked to rate his level of interest in the position, he responded, “I couldn’t even put a number on it. It depends on the hour.”

Former Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale, was in Coeur d’Alene late last month to announce he’s running. Others have expressed interest.