Mayoral candidate Brian Bowman said Gord Steeves asked him over drinks not to run for mayor before he entered the race.
Bowman made the revelation in response to a Steeves' suggestion that someone on the right needs to bow out to stop frontrunner Judy Wasylycia-Leis from becoming mayor.
Two polls released this week show Bowman and Steeves fighting it out for second place.
Bowman said asking him or any other candidate to drop out is akin to the old school back room deals that have taken place at city hall for too long.
The candidate wondered aloud that perhaps Steeves' head may be in the clouds with his drone proposal - a reference to Steeves' pledge to put unmanned aerial vehicles in the sky to do police work.
Meanwhile, right-of-centre candidate Paula Havixbeck cancelled a Friday morning news conference responding to Steeves. This, after she called Steeves a bully on Twitter.
Steeves said he wasn't implying that candidates bow out of the race. He said his message was to voters to prevent Wasylycia-Leis, an NDP backed candidate, from winning.
“I'm not supportive of the idea that we could have and NDP government at city hall and an NDP government at the Province of Manitoba," said Steeves.
Wasylycia-Leis suggested the name calling among those on the right could turn off voters.
"People are sick and tired of games that are being played and fighting between candidates," said Wasylycia-Leis.
