Chris Matthews Senate Run? Report Says He's Staffing Up... UPDATE: Matthews Denies

Update 4:40 PM: Matthews had denied reports that he's hiring staff for a Senate campain in a statement posted on FiveThirtyEight.com, the site that originally reported the news.

"It is absolutely not true," said Matthews, in a statement.

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Update: FiveThirtyEight has dialed back its report on Chris Matthews' potential senate run.

[EDIT -- 8:26 AM. I am changing the reporting and headline slightly to more cautiously reflect what our sources are telling us. Matthews, we have strong reason to believe, is hiring staff for a run at the Senate, although there have certainly been candidates in the past who have staffed up but subsequently elected not to run. -Nate]

For more, check out Jane Hamsher's new piece, "How Matthews Can Beat Specter"

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FiveThirtyEight's original report:

Chris Matthews is in.

FiveThirtyEight has been hearing this for some time, but it took a trip to Georgia among the Georgia-runoff-congregated and well-connected Obama organizer throng to confirm.

According to multiple sources, who confirmed the Tip O'Neill staffer-cum-MSNBC host has negotiated with veteran Obama staffers to enlist in his campaign, Chris Matthews will run for United States Senate in Pennsylvania in 2010. Matthews, 62, will run as a Democrat. Arlen Specter, the aging Republican incumbent, will be 80 if he chooses to run for re-election.

Recent polls suggest that Matthews will have a hard time unseating Sen. Arlen Specter. Quinnipiac gives the Republican incumbent a double-digit lead:

In an early look at the 2010 U.S. Senate race, Republican incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter leads TV commentator Chris Matthews, a possible Democratic challenger, 45 - 33 percent. Sen. Specter leads 72 - 9 percent among Republicans and 45 - 27 percent among independent voters, while Matthews leads 55 - 25 percent among Democrats.

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Specter gets a 62 - 25 percent approval rating and by a 56 - 23 percent margin, voters have a favorable opinion of him.

For Matthews, 60 percent say they don't know enough about him to form an opinion.

The LA Times adds that Matthews will likely face stiff competition for the Democratic nomination.

Leading the pack of prospects -- at least in celebrity -- is Chris Matthews, the MSNBC "Hardball" host and a former Capitol Hill Democratic staffer. The Philadelphia native has been toying with a run for months, and this week he sat down with state Democrats to discuss the prospect of taking on the five-term GOP senator.

Others considered in the mix include Rep. Joe Sestak, who is sitting on $3 million in campaign funds; state Rep. Josh Shapiro; and U.S. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz, a two-term Philadelphia area lawmaker who has moved up quickly on the Hill and has a Rolodex full of prospective donors from her unsuccessful 2000 Senate run. "We'll see," she said about a repeat bid.

"There are a lot of compelling reasons why serious Democrats would aspire to run in 2010," said Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney, who said Matthews had been in Pennsylvania Monday meeting with other Democratic leaders.

Comments

[thenadir]

If you're a PA democrat looking for an opportunity to show you can vote across the aisle, here you go!

To make myself clear, I'd rather vote Republican than promote this guy. And that's saying a lot. He's just not an asset. Hates women, has 1950's diner nostalgia syndrome, speaks without thinking and generally makes a mess of whatever value he's trying to push.

[rayfffffff]

He will never win, if he runs 50 times.

[realveive]

Just what Congress needs, another loud mouth gas bag.

[apoliticalchick]

Another pundit takes the plunge into politics. Let the games begin!
http://democralypsenow.blogspot.com/

[Andyit999]

Did anyone see this? Hillary shouldn't be Secretary of State, especially now.

Hillary Clinton: Gandhi Works In A Gas Station
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo9LP0ATVJc

[demrepub]

Chris Matthews? He better clean his nose and wipe his chin first.

[TN]

I hope this is not true. After that interview with the female republican senator, bachman or something like that, I started to get him. He has a unique style and way of getting info, like no other. He and Keith are my favorites.

[Roshan7]

I did not have the patience to read through all 27 pages of comments. I've read through the long list of supposedly sexist things Mr. Matthews has said, and I did not find one thing that I found to be legtimately sexist. In one quote, for instance, he referred to a female guest as "beautiful" which is admittedly creepy, but sexist? Also, his comment about hillary never having become senator without being married to bill was mistaken as sexist but a little bit of thought reveals it to be true, just as the opposite statement (that president clinton would never have become president were he not married to hillary) is true. I am a fan of Chris Matthews' show and I find that he brings fresh ideas to his analysis. I am also skeptical of a US Senate run--I feel that journalism and analysis suits him better than politics would. But I think it's unfortunate that so many people on the right and the left seem to have so much hatred for him. He did not support the war when it was popular--and he was very critical of people like the hawkish Zell Miller after the 2004 RNC, for which he received what amounted to an on-air death threat! He consistently explores racial angles and has a visible disgust with subtlly racist campaigning and makes a point to discuss the working-class perspective. I find the negativity towards him bizarre.

[RODERICK098]

Actually he raised continually the rascist issue when it was not an issue in oredr to get ratings His famous line-Every time Hillary speaks I have to put my knees together(Meaning he that she is a castrating liberated woman) that is not sexist to you. And there are plenty more of them than the ones you sight. He is out of touch with so many things that is not reliable on anything. HE NEEDS TO RETIRE AND SURELY THE WOMEN OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY WILL NOT LET HIM RUN FOR THEIT PARTY. HE IS A NATIONAL EMBARASSMENT.

[HallStyle]

Quit Hating! Chris is the MAN! The Network would have got rid of him if they felt like he was being sexist. Get Over it! Go WATCH FOX NEWS!

http://www.hallstyle.blogspot.com

[lyingtruth]

Matthews is a man who currently elicits some truth and facts about Washington, now he wants to go to there help cover them up?

[Dorothy]

Another Senator Hardball? Over the years no one, perhaps with the exception of Joe Leiberman, has more effectively used his bully pulpit and public persona to crap on Democrats' from within.

[HallStyle]

That's not true he tries his best to be some what FAIR AND BALANCED. Chris is the reason I started paying attention to politics after 9/11.

http://www.hallstyle.blogspot.com

[Lan2]

I hope all those who voted for Clinton in the primary will remember the misogynistic comments Mathews made throughout her campaign and connect the dots now that he has asked the Obama machine for support.

[dramaunfolding]

The inmates are taking over!!!! I was just getting use to him licking Obama's boots.

[ichiro]

i ain't voting for no would- be metaphor. if it's the lesser of two evils, sure... but haven't we has enough of that?

we need many, many, years of nothing but nothing but direct vote-repre­sentation.

(no, that does not mean referendum on every [social-co­nstitution­al.. there are no "social constitutional" issues issues ... that's the domain of our current civil war.)

so Chrism find your last days some where[s] else.; if you can't stand for something on your various-mu­ltitudinou­s shows, why the hell should i believe that you stand for anything?

this is the new media where you stand up for what you believe in., it ain't no popularity contest. you can he wrong if you admit it, and amend, change your mind, but you must FIRST stand up on every issue rock. one does not compromise principles unless one has none or doesn't understand what principles really are.

what are yours? if you think, after all these years, you can tell me now your way wrong.

END THE PROHIBITION NOW!

[old lady]

Run Chris Run... and I'll move to PA just to vote for ya

[VoterFor2008]

Sorry 'old_lady'. this old lady has been a PA voting democrat since able to vote. As much as i like chris' hardball and an avid fan, when it comes to pa politics, arlen specter is the only reason why i don't vote straight democrat when specter is up for re-election. i'm not an ideologue voter - i'm pragmatic and when it comes to taking care of the pa, specter will get my vote. i don't care if i email his office or call, i always get a response and help...and i'm just an average, plain ol' resident of the commonwealth). i'm selfish, i don't want another junior member(although casey is responsive to me as well but unfortunately doesnt have a lot of clout on capitol hill ) in lieu of the leader who knows to take care of his constituents on capitol hill). JMHO.

[Tyrione]

Learn from Washington State and my district when we voted out Foley after 1 term as Speaker of the House and put in Nethercutt. We waited 26 years in Eastern WA [spokane] and our own impatience castrated our voices.

Foley should have retired and not been beaten. The man steadily won every race and people fantasized that "now that he is Speaker we'll get all we ever dream of...'' and were way too impatient for help.

You're smart to keep Arlen in there. He'll retire very soon.

[Bosoxfan]

" Run" as in run your mouth? That's all he's good at. U.S.Senato­r? Are you kidding or what? He couldn't keep his mouth shut for 5 minutes let alone the hours it takes to debate votes in the chamber. On the other hand, it might not be a bad idea if he took Mika Ditz-inski along as his spin master.

[Jjc2006]

Are you too old to understand misogyny, sexism and derision toward women?

[SolarArray]

He can then overtalk everyone in Washington nobody will get a word in sideways. At least we won't have to listen to him on TV anymore so that's good news.