A former Westchester County executive is formally entering the race for New York governor - and he's making his exclusive announcement for the first time on News 12.

Republican Rob Astorino outlined his campaign agenda and reasons for making his second gubernatorial run in his first interview since becoming a candidate.

When Astorino first ran against Gov. Andrew Cuomo back in 2014, he won 46 out of New York's 62 counties. This time, he's joining a crowded field of GOP heavyweights eying the seat, including Rep. Lee Zeldin.

He spoke exclusively to News 12's Tara Rosenblum, saying that he liked his chances - and discussed why he believes that now is the right time to run again for office.

"I think like in Pataki in the '90s, things were getting really bad. And in, '09, when I ran for county executive, things were really bad. And we're going in a dark place right now in New York, quite frankly, there's so much division, it's unaffordable. Right now, there is lawlessness and crime on the rise. We've seen the failure of our schools and the shutdowns and leadership, lacking in Albany, and a radicalism, that's taking hold. So the losers and all that are the middle class," says Astorino.

Astorino says he will formally launch his campaign on social media Tuesday morning.

To watch the full interview with Rob Astorino, tune into News 12 Tuesday night.