Talk that Gov. Cuomo could run for president in 2016 started as soon as he took office in New York, but the discussion has picked up in recent days after reports that his father has talked him up as a potential candidate. Capital Tonight's Nick Reisman has more.

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- Governor Andrew Cuomo has only been leading the state for 18 months, and despite the 2016 presidential election being several political lifetimes away, the chatter that he is going to make a White House run refuse to die down.

"There's going to be a national conversation about Andrew Cuomo. He's got to figure out how to engage in it, while still being an effective governor. I think he can do both things," said Richard Brodsky, (D) Former Assemblyman.

In June, it was Cuomo's father, former Governor Mario Cuomo, who apparently brought up the speculation that his son would run for president while at a reception at the Executive Mansion in honor of his birthday. The elder Cuomo's statement, first reported by The New York Times, was especially jarring because the current governor and his staff have discouraged any talk of presidential ambitions. But, the current governor said his father was speaking context of his first year and a half, and his legislative successes.

"He did believe the presidential speculation evidenced a successful 18 months," said Gov. Cuomo. "Now it's a father talking about a son, right, so there's a certain amount, and I'm a father of three daughters, there's a certain amount of pride that you bring and you may not be fully objective when you're talking about your child."

Still, former Governor Eliot Spitzer said it helps to keep interest afloat for those with their sights set on the White House, even if you aren't talking about it in public.

"You have somebody out there in Andrew's case, who I presume is parking the conversation, in this case it's his dad, a good co-conspirator in the game. On the other hand, you pretend you're not paying attention, you're only going to focus on doing the job because you don't want to seem to want it. You want the chatter to continue, because as the mayor just said, the chatter is beneficial," explained Spitzer.

Perhaps mindful of the intense speculation his father created about his own presidential campaign that never materialized, Cuomo has kept a low profile nationally, despite high profile victories such as same-sex marriage. He has turned down requests to appear on Sunday morning talk shows, and what media he does do is New York-focused.

"I think there's a strategy here that the less he says, the better off he is, and there's been wisdom in that," said Brodsky.