Harold Ford Jr. is polling to test his support statewide as he nears a final decision about challenging Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a Democratic primary, sources said yesterday.

Pollster Doug Schoen is performing the survey for Ford (left), which the former Tennessee congressman is paying for out of his own pocket, sources said.

Ford aides declined comment.

But sources familiar with the potential candidate’s thinking have suggested he’s deeply interested in running and being in public office again, and is weighing whether there is a path to get there in one of the most expensive media markets in the country.

Someone who was called by Schoen’s researchers said the questions tested negatives and positives for Ford — including any potential Wall Street bonus as a negative, but also him as a “national leader” among African-Americans and a candidate in the mold of President Obama.

Ford also met with state Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs yesterday.

Both were tight-lipped about what was discussed. But Jacobs had told The Post he himself had asked for the meeting, and he made clear he still wanted to avoid a primary.