Maddow Senate Run 'Completely Made Up,' Despite Scott Brown Fundraising Pitch (VIDEO)

Rachel Maddow isn't planning to challenge Scott Brown for his senate seat in Massachusetts. Whether that's good or bad for Brown will be decided by the pundits -- and donors.

Brown sent a fundraising email on Tuesday, obtained by the Daily Beast, asking donors for help with a political season that "never ends." The message begins:

It's only been a couple of months since I've been in office, and before I've even settled into my new job, the political machine in Massachusetts is looking for someone to run against me. And you're not going to believe who they are supposedly trying to recruit--liberal MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow.

Rachel lives in western Massachusetts, and recently it was reported that the chairman of the state Democratic Party had apparently tried to reach out to her in an attempt to coax her into a race against me.

Later that evening, Maddow chuckled throughout a denial of Brown's suggestion that she's being recruited to run. "It's completely made up by [Brown]," she told Bill Wolff. Normally the executive producer of The Rachel Maddow Show, Wolff took the host's chair as Maddow recused herself "for the first and probably last time."

The bewildered Maddow found herself in two unexpected positions: a guest on her own show and a fundraising catalyst. "The fear of Rachel Maddow is what he's raising money on in Massachusetts," she observed before joking, "Massachusets donors, open your wallets! Maddow's coming!"

The rumors may have originated with a Facebook page started by a friend of Maddow, as well as a vague Tweet sent by Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh. The MSNBC host suggested that the page was a joke ("there's a Facebook page for a lot of things") and pointed out that Walsh's tweet about the campaign made no reference to her.

"Why didn't they just call and ask me if it was true before sending out the fundraising letter?" she wondered.

WATCH:

Comments

[pyradius]

07:47 PM on 03/26/2010

With all the talk about November, perhaps he thought he was up for re-election soon too.

[gillianb]

03:49 PM on 03/26/2010

No, what he said was not true. And he knew it. He was weaseling in his fundraiser message by saying:

" ... the political machine in Massachusetts is looking for someone to run against me. And you're not going to believe who they are supposedly trying to recruit--liberal MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow.

Rachel lives in western Massachusetts, and recently it was reported that the chairman of the state Democratic Party had apparently tried to reach out to her in an attempt to coax her into a race against me."

Those are his words in this article (you can look it up, just scroll baby, scroll!).

What is worse is that he apparently didn't know that he should have checked out the rumor. That says volumes about the state of the press and media in this century. It's no longer necessary to corroborate with two sources before printing as a fact ... you just have to quote someone else as the source with or without identifying the source and that let's the reporter/speaker off the hook. Truth has certainly given way to truthiness!

[minerva117]

10:40 AM on 03/26/2010

Gee, a Republican lying about an important issue. Excuse me while I die from not surprised.

[repuglycon]

09:58 AM on 03/26/2010

Rachel if the senate gets off work at 2:00 pm. everyday, couldn't you do both gigs at once?

[pbnyc59]

08:43 AM on 03/26/2010

Maddow is the most intelligent voice reporting on politics today. She can do much more from where she is sitting now. Brown is a fool, there will be plenty to run against him in 2012.

[FessorFrink]

03:37 AM on 03/26/2010

At this point in her life I think she feels she can do more with her show, than as a Senator. She is only 37 (I think) so she has a long time (see Sen. Byrd) to decide on running for elected office.

[skepticaldoc]

12:45 AM on 03/26/2010

That was brilliant. Does Bill Wolff get his own show now on the political lineup?

[springsm]

12:33 AM on 03/26/2010

Rachel Maddow is too smart to be a politician at this time in our history. We need her where she is. (selfish, I know). However, I would get a lawyer on Scott Brown. Gosh he reminds me of a gadfly. Yuksy.

[Rhiana]

12:32 AM on 03/26/2010

Her shows this week have been top notch. When she showed Sen. Levin stressing the importance of the hearings he was scheduled to hold, and saying the Generals had traveled from Korea and Hawaii for the hearings, it really drove the point home.

The republicans threw a temper tantrum over losing and held up vital national security hearings just for spite.

Country first. ya.

[ionthegravity]

05:55 PM on 03/25/2010

I LOVE RACHEL!!! I would move to MA just to vote for her!!

[Saxton]

05:05 PM on 03/25/2010

So Brown says that he is a different type of politician, yet he has to lie to his constituents in order to get money for his campaign. Yeah, that's change you can believe in - NOT!

Saw an interview with him yesterday on one of the Boston networks and it was pathetic, you could tell that the interviewer, who pretends to be hard political journalist, had such a man crush on the guy that the interview was weak and amateurish.

[voltage356]

03:59 PM on 03/25/2010

If she did run Brown, she would whip your b.u.t.t.

[CanUFeel2012]

03:50 PM on 03/25/2010

''Ricky Hollywood'', YOU LIE !.

[Horus45]

03:03 PM on 03/25/2010

HP, could you have chosen a worse picture of Rachel?

[madHenry]

04:35 PM on 03/25/2010

What? There is no bad picture of Rachel. I LOVE this woman!

[cloudynites]

02:46 PM on 03/25/2010

When a radio interviewer asked him yesterday why he didn't call her to confirm she was running, his response was: "I didn't know I had to." You didn't know that you had to check out a rumor before you tried to make money off her likeness and spread lies and innuendos? And Massachusetts, this is who you want to represent you? H ell, he even represents her! If my senator was smearing me like this, I'd sue his a $$ or at least make his little life miserable and make sure he was never re-elected. This is such a typical republican response I can't even type anything else.

On a different note, if I were running against him, I'd make sure there were lots of naked pix of him around town. (bus stops, bars, libraries, churches, etc.)

[JimR]

02:53 PM on 03/25/2010

He did not say that she was running. He said she is being encouraged to run. And she is:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=384796621152

[cloudynites]

03:06 PM on 03/25/2010

Regardless, he didn't even call to see if THAT was true. And even after he found out, he continues to use this as a fundraising tool. And you're okay with that? A guy who runs a campaign 2 years in advance using fraudulent information that he knows is fraudulent. That's alright by you? Being "encouraged to run" is a h elluva long way from running. Don't you think you should ask first, or is it okay to use lies and propaganda to raise money from your constituents, and then tell them afterward? No, let's get if from facebook, a reliable source of political information. Facebook even lets Moose-illa blog. That should tell you something.

[WillCooney]

04:20 PM on 03/25/2010

He's dishonest in his letter that has already gone out. Rachel is not running, has never been approached by the Massachusetts Democratic Party and, he owes her an apology. Live on her TV show! Let's see if he's man enough to admit his mistake publicly. Or, like the rest of his GOP brethern say that he's sorry it was a "one time" thing and, then, continue to seek contributions as if he had never done anything wrong. What a piece of work!!!