It's not clear if McAuliffe was seeking an endorsement or donations from Bloomberg. | AP Photos McAuliffe meets with Bloomberg

Democratic Virginia gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe recently met with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in an effort to get support from the billionaire politician, two sources familiar with the meeting told POLITICO.

The pair met in New York a week-and-a-half ago, according to the sources. Aides to McAuliffe declined comment, and a Bloomberg spokesman did not respond to an email asking about the meeting.


It wasn’t immediately clear whether McAuliffe was seeking an endorsement from Bloomberg — who has billed himself as an independent and whose backing has been helpful to candidates in some places in the Northeast, like Rhode Island — or whether he hoped for financial support.

( PHOTOS: Terry McAuliffe’s career)

The outgoing mayor has spent more than $15 million on his gun control group Mayors Against Illegal Guns and on a super PAC to support a candidate in a special House race in Illinois.

Because of those efforts, he’s become the face of the gun control movement, making him less of an attractive supporter in places like Virginia than more clearly Democratic-leaning cities or states. He could also be a helpful rallying cry for Republican nominee Ken Cuccinelli with his base voters.

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