Bloomberg, Hagel Meeting Keeps Rumors Afloat
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Lest the presidential ticket rumors begin to subside, Mayor Bloomberg and Nebraska’s Senator Hagel reunited for dinner in Manhattan on Wednesday.
The pair caused a stir last spring when they found friendship as like-minded maverick Republicans, sparking speculation of a Bloomberg-Hagel ticket in the 2008 race. Then, Mr. Bloomberg dropped his GOP affiliation to become an independent and Mr. Hagel announced he would not seek re-election for his Senate seat.
Bloomberg denies having any plans to run for president but gives his aides and supporters free reign to promote the idea.
After Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Hagel shared another not-so-secret dinner in Washington last May, Hagel said in a television interview that it was time for a third-party candidacy to shake things up.
He also mused about the idea of him and Mr. Bloomberg running together.
