The Collar City is abuzz over growing speculation that New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will launch her presidential campaign in their hub. 

Multiple news outlets, including the Albany Business Review and the Times Union, are reporting on Friday Gillibrand's campaign has signed a lease for the second floor of the Frear Building, which sits at Third Street and Fulton Street in the downtown area. 

On Thursday, multiple people told The Associated Press Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is looking at Troy as a potential headquarter for a 2020 presidential bid.

They cautioned the decision was not yet final and spoke on condition of anonymity, because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Gillibrand has deep roots in the community. She was born in Albany, graduated high school from Emma Willard in Troy, and represented much of the Capital Region in Congress before being elected to the U.S. Senate.  

Leonard Cutler, a political science professor at Siena College, says candidates usually start where their base is the strongest.

"Campaign offices they sprout, they expand," Cutler said. "This is, as you say, testing the waters."

Gillibrand's office did not return calls for comment.

The senator would likely be joining a crowded field for the Democratic ticket for 2020. Across the New York border, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has announced an exploratory committee. 

"I mean there are probably eight or nine out there right now that are very recognizable," Cutler said. "So we got a long way to go."