> did nutter actually say "i'm exploring a run for mayor"? that whole 2 week episode just seemed like political gossip, which then required nutter to come out and say "no" so he could put an end to it.

Nutter didn't, but those in his circle/the wider Democratic party were somewhere between nudging and pressuring him to jump into the race, which was largely what those stories were about (and which arguably represented a part of the push, since the publicity didn't leave much room for him to continue to chill on the fence).