David Seymour says it "makes sense" for National voters in Epsom to vote for him instead, but he won't be asking for an endorsement.
Seymour's single-MP party ACT has survived the past few electoral cycles by clinging onto the wealthy electorate. ACT's share of the party vote has fallen every election since 2011, but National has regularly encouraged voters to give their electorate vote to ACT in the hope the minor party will bring in more MPs.
But despite opinion polls showing ACT might actually bring in a rare second MP at next year's election, Seymour doesn't appear keen to cut a formal deal with National.
Asked on Saturday morning by Newshub Nation if he'd be approaching National leader Simon Bridges, Seymour said no.
"Simon Bridges is the leader of another party. I'm focused on the voters."
Seymour has thrice defeated National's Paul Goldsmith, who one year was caught on camera removing unofficial signs urging voters to give him the tick.
But with the experienced Goldsmith in line to be Finance Minister should National form the next Government, there's speculation he might try and win the seat to give himself more credibility with voters.
Seymour says that would be a mistake.
"If I was Paul Goldsmith, I'd be sitting there saying, 'Well, if David Seymour wins Epsom and ACT is bringing more MPs into Parliament, I might be the Minister of Finance. If I win Epsom then' - Paul Goldsmith will be thinking - 'I could be a Member of Parliament that has to deal with a lot more constituency cases, in Opposition.'
"So actually it makes sense for him for me to win, it makes sense for me for me to win, and a lot of people in the Epsom electorate also think it makes good strategic sense for me to win the Epsom electorate. That's the realpolitik of it."
If Goldsmith runs to win the seat, Seymour says he'll have less time to spend getting ACT's party vote up, further hurting the centre-right's prospects of electoral victory.
"You win on having the best strategy and the best argument for voters to elect you. That's how every election works - including in Epsom."
