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NEW YORK – Mayor Michael Bloomberg (search) said Monday he has “absolutely no interest” in running for New York governor in 2006 even if his fellow Republican, George Pataki (search), decides not to seek a fourth term.
“I have never expressed any interest in running for governor. I never will express any interest in running for governor,” Bloomberg said during a news conference with Pataki on an unrelated issue.
Bloomberg said he hoped to win a second term as mayor this November.
Pataki, who is eyeing a run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, has said he will decide by the end of September whether he will seek re-election.
Bloomberg’s comments came in the wake of a New York Post report suggesting he had some interest in the governor’s job.
Recent independent polls have shown billionaire Bloomberg leading all his possible Democratic challengers for mayor.
State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (search), a Democrat, has already announced he’s running for governor, and independent polls have shown him leading Pataki.