Chris Matthews in Talks for Senate Run

Chris Matthews, MSNBC's cantankerous host of Hardball, is reportedly speaking to party officials in Pennsylvania about a possible run for Senate. Not surprisingly, were Matthews to run, he would do so as a Democrat, challenging Republican Arlen Specter in 2010. Matthews has been thought to be eying a run for months although he has consistently denied it in public. This report is the first confirmation that he is at least preparing the ground for the possibility of taking on the five-term incumbent.

A Senate campaign would be Matthews' second foray into elective politics. After serving on the staffs of four Democratic members of Congress, Matthews ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the House of Representatives in 1974, losing in the Democratic primary. He remained in Washington, becoming a speechwriter for President Carter for four years, and later serving as an aide to the notoriously partisan House Speaker Tip O'Neill (D-MA) during the Reagan Administration.

On his television show, Matthews likes to portray the image of a middle-of-the-road political commentator, but his career in politics shows that he is anything but that. Matthews is a 1960s anti-war liberal who cut his political teeth in support of George McGovern's failed 1972 presidential campaign. His political bias got the best of him during this year's presidential campaign, when he was widely viewed as heavily favoring Barack Obama. Matthews famously commented that he, "felt a thrill going up his leg," when he listened to Obama speak. That remark brought chuckles even fellow members of the media, and cost him whatever reputation for impartiality he maintained among conservatives and Republicans.

Specter is well entrenched in Pennsylvania, and has amassed a large campaign war chest for 2010. Any challenger would have a hard time unseating him, which is why Pennsylvania Democrats may be interested in running Matthews. His name recognition alone could help overcome Specter's fund raising and organizational advantages. Matthews clearly has the bug to run for office. Now he will have to decide if he has the stomach to challenge the lone remaining Northeastern Republican in Congress.