Will he or won’t he? John Tory says jump, press asks “how high?”

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. Perennial also-ran John Tory is preparing to throw his hat in the ring for Toronto’s mayoral race—maybe. You may remember Tory from his losing race for mayor in 2003, his losing race against the provincial Liberals in 2007, and his losing race to win a rural by-election in 2008. Sources close to Tory are leaking to every journalist with a pulse that Tory is ready to enter the fray once more now that the opposition from his wife, Barbara Hackett, has cooled.

Or so says the Star:

Insiders say Hackett, her husband’s most trusted adviser, has gotten over her aversion to electoral politics. She was upset at how her husband was treated by foes and friends alike after his stunning by-election defeat to Liberal Rick Johnson.

“Barb kept a list,” said another friend. “But she’s a lot warmer to the idea” of a mayoral run.

Astonishingly, one of the people pushing Tory into the race is none other than Margaret Thatcher Mike Harris. Of all the endorsements in the world, that one is impossible to measure in Toronto: the man responsible for the megacity isn’t exactly beloved in this town. Is there no one else for Tory to turn to for political advice? It’d be a shame if Harris hobbled his friend’s campaign before it even started. Then again, it wouldn’t be the first Tory victory Harris messed up.

• Tory leaning toward run for mayor’s chair [Toronto Star]
• John Tory mulls entering mayor’s race, friends say [National Post]
• Speculation mounts over John Tory mayoral bid [Globe and Mail]