Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim ended months of speculation Wednesday when he said he will be running for governor of Connecticut.

Ganim says he will file paperwork on Jan. 3 at the secretary of state's office in Hartford to become a candidate and thereafter make a formal announcement.

When a court denied the mayor's bid for public campaign financing last month due to his record as a convicted felon, there was talk Ganim's candidacy might not be viable.

Ganim tells News 12 Connecticut that no one is as qualified as him to attract business and development and turn around the state's financial crisis.

He says a lack of public funding will not keep him from running a successful campaign.

"I've always been one who's participated only in traditional fundraising, which means having fundraisers with people that can contribute and will have enough money to get our message out," Ganim says.