Chris Matthews bows out of Senate run

MSNBC host Chris Matthews told his staff yesterday that he had decided not to run in next year's U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, ending months of speculation.

During a late afternoon meeting before his daily Hardball show aired, Matthews told his team of producers that he would not seek the Senate seat, network spokesman Jeremy Gaines said.

Matthews, who is in contract talks with MSNBC, declined to comment. He has often said that his childhood dream was to be a senator.

For several months, Matthews explored the idea of seeking the Democratic nomination to take on Republican Sen. Arlen Specter. He spoke with party powerbrokers and consultants about what it would take to win such a race, and word of those conversations leaked, sparking a flurry of news reports.

Matthews, 63, is a Philadelphia native who lost the Democratic primary for a Northeast Philadelphia congressional seat in 1974. He was a speech writer for President Jimmy Carter, worked as a top aide to the late Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill (D., Mass.) and held other posts on Capitol Hill.

The possibility of a Matthews candidacy put MSNBC on the spot, with media critics saying it would be unethical to keep him on the air if he were serious about running. Network executives in recent weeks prodded Matthews to make up his mind.

Many speculated that the host was using the possibility of a Senate run as leverage to get a better deal with MSNBC, though several people close to Matthews said they did not think he could ever give up a job he loves.