ASSOCIATED PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS

would "continue to have control of and access to certain investment decisions." On January 18, 2008, the Associated Press reported that Bloomberg had a meeting in Austin, Texas with Clay Mulford, a ballot access expert and campaign manager for Ross Perot's third party presidential campaigns. Bloomberg denied that the meeting concerned a possible presidential campaign by him, stating "I'm not a candidate — it couldn't be clearer. Which of the words do you not understand?" On February 28, 2008 Bloomberg stated that "I am not – and will not be – a candidate for president." And that he is "hopeful that the current campaigns can rise to the challenge by offering truly independent leadership.

The most productive role that I can serve is to push them forward, by using the means at my disposal to promote a real and honest debate. *On August 15, 2008 the Virginia State Board of Elections confirmed that the Independent Greens of Virginia, an affiliate of the Independence Party of America, had collected enough signatures to put Bloomberg on the ballot for President in Virginia, with Ron Paul. as his running mate. Bloomberg, however, declined the ballot line. At the same time as the presidential run was being considered, there was also some speculation that Bloomberg could be a candidate for the vice presidency in 2008. In a blog posting of June 21, 2007, The Politico's Ben Smith asked the question of whether a VP candidate can self-finance an entire presidential ticket. Many believed that Bloomberg would in fact be legally permitted to self-finance a campaign as the VP candidate.

more fuel to the speculation that Bloomberg might consider a VP slot were a series of meetings he had in mid-August 2007 with former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn, a Democrat who had considered running as an independent,[citation needed] and later with Barack Obama on 30 November 2007. A breakfast meeting with John McCain on May 17, 2008 led to speculation that Bloomberg may be on McCain's short list of possible VP candidates. Again, though, no vice-presidential run in 2008 materialized either.

On November 6, 2007, the New York Post detailed efforts by New York Republicans to recruit Bloomberg to oppose then-incumbent Governor Eliot Spitzer in the 2010 election. Early polls indicated Bloomberg would defeat Spitzer in a landslide. (The potential 2010 match-up became moot when Spitzer resigned on March 17, 2008.) A March 20, 2008 poll of New York State voters had the Mayor topping newly ascended Governor David Paterson and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the 2010 gubernatorial election.