NBC's Matthews Not Running For Office

For a while there the speculation grew hot and heavy that "Hardball" host Chris Matthews was going to quit his TV duties and make a run for Senate from Pennsylvania. It was fueled by the fact that Matthews attended, independently, fund-raisers and other political events... and never outright denied that he might throw his hat into the ring.

But today the New York Times' Bill Carter reports that Matthews has informed his staff that he intends to stay with NBC and will not be running for political office.

And all the rumors might have been just a ploy to give Matthews an edge in his contract negotiations:

There has been speculation that Mr. Matthews, 63, was flirting with a Senate run as a way to give him some leverage in his contract talks. According to at least one earlier report, NBC was planning to ask Mr. Matthews to return but wanted him to take a drastic pay cut - from $5 million a year to an amount closer to $1 million.

Since that report, "Hardball" has bounced back in the ratings, especially during the presidential election season, and NBC News executives have expressed much more interest in retaining Mr. Matthews.

Talks between NBC and Matthews continue.