Washington ? Republican Sen. John McCain intends to take the first formal step toward a White House run next week by launching a presidential exploratory committee, GOP officials say.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting a public statement from the four-term Arizona senator, who is considered the front-runner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

McCain, the GOP maverick who unsuccessfully sought his party’s nomination in 2000, already has opened a bank account for the committee, one official said.

“The senator has made no decision about running for president,” said Eileen McMenamin, a McCain spokeswoman.

Aides to McCain say the senator will discuss whether to seek the presidency with his family over the Christmas holiday and decide thereafter.

Establishing an exploratory committee allows a potential candidate to raise money for a White House run and travel the country.

McCain is a former Navy pilot who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was elected to the Senate in 1986 and had served in the House for four years before that.

If McCain were to run, he would turn 72 on Aug. 29, 2008, at the height of the campaign. Only President Reagan was older – 73 at the start of his second term. McCain’s health could be another issue. The senator has had several cancerous lesions removed from his skin.

During the 2006 election cycle, McCain worked to spread goodwill throughout the party, attending 346 events and raising more than $10.5 million on behalf of Republican candidates across the country.