Talk of Obama-Bloomberg ticket grows

NEW YORK, March 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg talked this week, prompting speculation they may team up politically.

One day after Bloomberg, an independent, officially ruled out a presidential bid, he was contacted by Obama, the Democratic front-runner, and the buzz increased of a potential Obama-Bloomberg campaign ticket, the New York Daily News reported Saturday.

New York City Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey did little to quiet such talk Friday after an Obama spokesman confirmed the phone conversation had taken place.

"The man has the ability to finance a campaign. I don't think that's why you choose a vice president. I do think that people are going to be very concerned about the influence of special-interest money in this campaign going forward," Sheekey said.

"I think the mayor is the ultimate swing voter. He is someone who the country is looking at to find out where they will go."

The Daily News said Bloomberg, on the other hand, attempted to downplay such reports Friday when he told a radio show host "nobody is going to ask me."