Politics

McCain lobbies Bloomberg for Romney

Will Rahn Senior Editor
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Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee for president, is trying to get New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to support Mitt Romney, the GOP’s likely pick for president this year.

“I just came in to pay my respects to the mayor. He and I are old friends from many years back,” McCain told the New York Post after a visit to City Hall. “I told him that I just spent last weekend with Romney and I thought that Romney was on message . . . and tried to convince the mayor that we’ve got a winning campaign.”

A Bloomberg endorsement could be helpful for Romney in an election that will probably be decided by moderate voters. And, as New York Magazine’s Dan Amira notes, the billionaire Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent’s vast wealth allows him to “part with Adelson-type money without ever noticing it was missing” should he ever feel inclined to back up an endorsement with campaign cash.

Bloomberg’s involvement might also come with it’s own liabilities, however, particularly with the GOP base. During his tenure as mayor, he has been one of country’s most vocal advocates for gun control, and his “nanny state” policies on smoking and health food often draw the ire of libertarians.

For its part, City Hall didn’t have much to say on the possibility of an endorsement. “Any day Sen. McCain has time to stop in at City Hall is a great day for us,” Bloomberg’s spokesman told the Post.

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