Eagle hasn’t ruled out a run

Stuff reports:

Rongotai MP Paul Eagle has ruled out a run for Wellington mayor in 2022 after several candidates accused each other of not being committed to the electorate.

If you look at what he said, he didn’t actually rule out a run. He has left wriggle room.

Stuff has previously asked Eagle whether he was planning a mayoral run, responding he had no “current plans”.

When asked again on Friday, he again said he had “no plans right now”.

That is the weakest form of denial.

When pushed further to definitively commit to seeing out his term if he were re-elected, he said he would.

”Yes, I will [rule it out]. But what I want to ask is: Do either of them live in the electorate? Are they committed to the people of Rongotai if they don’t live here?

”This is hypocrisy of the highest order from two parties who are barely polling … I’ve lived here for 40 years. Where is their commitment? I know every inch of Rongotai.”

On the basis of what Stuff has reported, he has ruled out not seeing his term as an MP out. That is different to ruling out he won’t stand for Mayor.

You could stand for Mayor, and if elected, do both jobs for a year – on the basis of saving the cost of a by-election.

Maybe Eagle did explicitly rule out standing for Mayor, but the Stuff article links the denial to not seeing his term out. It would be good to know if he explicitly ruled out standing for Mayor under any circumstances.