From the NY Times:Ms. Taylor, the companion of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, was not only intrigued by the idea, but also eager to delve into the details of a potential campaign and future career in the Senate. She mused about how much influence she could have as a freshman Republican in a Democratic-controlled Congress, and the kind of relationship she would have with the state's senior senator, Charles E. Schumer.
''She was very serious about it,'' said Bill Paxon, a Republican former congressman from New York, who participated in the previously undisclosed meeting in March at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Manhattan.
Ms. Taylor, 55, a woman known best not for what she has done, but for whom she lives with, is beginning to make unmistakable forays into New York politics, shedding her reputation as a glamorous sidekick and becoming closely watched in her own right. Her actions suggest that as Mr. Bloomberg enters the twilight of his mayoralty, the heir to his political legacy may be the woman he has dated for a decade. ''If she wants it, she has a political future,'' said John J. Faso, the Republican candidate for governor in 2006.
Not everyone was enthusiastic about the Senate idea: Mr. Bloomberg expressed reservations about her running, according to those close to the couple, in part because of the inevitable awkwardness that would accompany a senator and a mayor living under the same roof.
