He doesn't really want to run, but perhaps he can use the threat of a candidacy to make himself a behind-the-scenes player, the guy who delivers the left to Al Gore or Bill Bradley.
He wants to run for office rather than be a player behind the scenes.
mnli hypothesis: He wants to run for office rather than be a player behind the scenes. premise: He doesn't really want to run, but perhaps he can use the threat of a candidacy to make himself a behind-the-scenes player, the guy who delivers the left to Al Gore or Bill Bradley.