Mayor Bloomberg is headed to primary battleground New Hampshire Friday, fueling speculation he�s planning a 2012 presidential run.

The mayor will be the first speaker in a presidential lecture series at Dartmouth College, alma mater of gal pal Diana Taylor.

The speech comes as the third-term mayor has been raising his political profile, including making a trip to Milwaukee today to endorse Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett in his bid for governor of Wisconsin.

�I think it�s in his interest as a lame duck mayor to be appearing to run for higher office. It helps his political currency,� said Columbia University�s Steven Cohen.

But voters shouldn�t read too much into his visit to the Granite State, home to the nation�s first presidential primary in 2012. �I am not running for President,� he insisted recently.

(Source: NY Daily News)