The rumors swirling around MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and his possible run for the US Senate seat in Pennsylvania are strong enough that his immediate future with the cable network is now being discussed. Word is that those who have heard Matthews discuss the matter first hand say he sure sounds like a candidate, and that interested observers at MSNBC would rather see him exit sooner rather than later, especially since the cable news net is already trying to downplay its left-heavy talent lineup.
On the other hand, some speculate that this may be nothing more than an elaborate negotiation ploy. Matthews’ contract expires in June 2009.
Stunningly, Rasmussen has already unleashed a poll pitting Matthews against incumbent Arlen Specter (R-PA), showing Specter with a 46%-43% lead at this early juncture. Rasmussen says Specter would capture about 30% of the Democratic vote if the election were held now. Before his staff starts working quietly to shepherd Matthews through the Democratic nomination process, however, it will need to make sense of the fact that he’d only get 70% of the Republican vote.
RBR/TVBR observation: We cannot believe we are already seeing 2010 polls – if they asked us, we would be hard put to give a serious answer. But we suspect that Matthews may have a hard time as a candidate. This is because we have frequently seen harsh criticism directed at him from the right side of the political spectrum thoughout 2008. This is a notable achievement, because he’s been the target of harsh criticism from the left side for years now. In neither case is the criticism coming because he’s seen as being too centrist. So just who is the real Chris Matthews? Specter’s oppo research team will have ample video footage at their disposal to define him pretty much however they please.
