Mayor Refutes Report on Run For Albany

Mayor Bloomberg is denying a report that he is considering challenging Governor Spitzer in the 2010 governor's race.

"I categorically will not run for governor," Mr. Bloomberg told reporters yesterday.

The New York Post reported yesterday that the mayor's chief political adviser, Kevin Sheekey, contacted a Republican strategist, William Powers, to say the mayor was "open" to running against Mr. Spitzer. The article quoted an unnamed source as saying, "Sheekey told Powers that he'd like to talk about the governor's race, and they're going to do it."

Polls indicate that the mayor could be a tough challenger to Mr. Spitzer. But Mr. Bloomberg dismissed the report as "totally fictitious." Mr. Sheekey has never had a conversation with Mr. Powers, and the Post failed to verify the story with his office, the mayor said. "We never got called to ask whether any of this was true," Mr. Bloomberg said.

Mr. Powers declined tocomment on the article.

"I want to support our governor, Eliot Spitzer," Mr. Bloomberg said. "This is a tough state, and I'll do everything I can to help him make this state better. But I'll do it from New York City, not from the governor's mansion."