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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Another thrill for Chris Matthews: A chance against Specter

 

Maybe this will send another thrill up MSNBC yakker Chris Matthews’ leg: A new poll suggests that he would have a shot if he were the Democratic nominee for Senate in 2010 against Sen. Arlen Specter, the longtime Republican incumbent.

Specter gets the support of just 40 percent of likely voters – compared to 27 percent for Matthews, according to a Public Policy Polling survey conducted just before last week’s election. But 33 percent of the electorate in such a hypothetical contest is undecided, a sign that pollsters interpret as a willingness to consider Matthews.

“Arlen Specter would definitely start out as the favorite if Chris Matthews challenged him,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling, based in Raleigh, N.C. “But this poll provides clear evidence that a Matthews candidacy is not a non-starter. Pennsylvania voters would listen to what he has to say and give him a shot.”

Matthews, who remarked on air last February that he felt “this thrill going up my leg” during a post-primary speech by President-elect Barack Obama, has toyed with the idea of running for the Senate in his native Pennsylvania. He grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, and his brother, Jim Matthews, a Republican, is the chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

PPP interviewed 1,529 likely voters between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2 by computer.

Click here for Philly.com's politics page.

Posted by Thomas Fitzgerald @ 11:35 AM  Permalink | 31 comments
Comments   
Comment removed.
Posted 02:05 PM, 11/11/2008
MiddleNameHussein
Where does Crissy live? Will the same left wing nuts who have an obsession about where Rick Santorum spends his time also have something to say when Crissy runs and doesn't live in PA? Or are the rules different for liberal Democrat politicians?
Posted 02:06 PM, 11/11/2008
JakeTheSnake
Stop whining whoever you are. And, stop using utley's name in vain.
Comment removed.
Posted 02:19 PM, 11/11/2008
MikeP
The liberal media line is getting old. Once news was driven by ratings instead of as a public service, the news is reported based on broad appeal. When we had real journalism, news was viewed as a public service that the government required for an entity to get a broadcasting license. If having a more conservative slant would increase ratings, every major news outlet would go in that direction. So, the truth is, while conservative claim that there is a liberal bias, there is really a ratings bias and most people like the news just the way it is. Why? Because it's in line with their views. There is no liberal bias. It's just that the average viewer is more liberal than you'd like us to believe. Republicans are a shrinking party. If they stay the course, they'll be insignificant by the next election. 15-20% tops and trending downward.
Posted 02:23 PM, 11/11/2008
UnionMilkmen
Doesn't anyone of quality run for office any more?
Posted 02:27 PM, 11/11/2008
BucksDem
The difference is that he is clear what his views are and he is a commentator and not a newscaster, Fox is at fault because they are claiming to deliver non-biased newscasts but they clearly are slanted to the right.
Comment removed.
Posted 02:56 PM, 11/11/2008
Montco PA Dem
How old is Specter these days...about 90? I can't wait to see him try to proclaim himself a "Maverick" too, after the way he repeatedly folded like a cheap suit whenever he faced any pressure from the Bushies on Judiciary. Like McCain, another lapdog that's going to pay the price.
Posted 03:10 PM, 11/11/2008
tokar
Has anyone else noticed that Hardball has taken a visible Philadelphia preference recently? Yesterday Chris was in front of wallpaper of the Philadelphia skyline...
Posted 03:10 PM, 11/11/2008
chrissmith
How many more Democratic public relations articles do we have to suffer through? Please, Inquirer, take a look at yourself in the mirror! You guys are a total joke!
Posted 03:19 PM, 11/11/2008
junethe4th
More s--- bubbling to the surface.
Posted 03:33 PM, 11/11/2008
h2hamilton
Chris Matthews has recently shifted from unbia but leaning liberal to bias left wing liberal.
Posted 03:35 PM, 11/11/2008
Rauol Duke
PA Democrats can do better then Mathews. We can find better qualified public servants then a Talking Head. Democrats expect somebody which has been spending their careers working for the average man. What do they think we are Republicans? It is the Republicans who go for the empty head sport hero or the washed up movie star.
Posted 03:45 PM, 11/11/2008
tdoc
I thought Specter was running for NFL Commissioner? And, considering he votes with the GOP about 70% of the time, he will really be riding that Maverick label.
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About Commonwealth Confidential
Commonwealth Confidential gives you regularly updated coverage of the state legislature, the governor and the workings of the state bureaucracy. It is written by the political reporters in the Inquirer's Harrisburg bureau, based right in the statehouse.

Mario F. Cattabiani (left) has covered state government and politics from Harrisburg since 1994, the last six years for the Inquirer. In July, he was ranked by PolitickerPa.com as No. 1 among the "Most Powerful Political Reporters" in Pennsylvania.

Angela Couloumbis (center) joined The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1998, and has covered government and politics in New Jersey, Philadelphia and throughout Pennsylvania, including Gov. Rendell’s 2006 race against former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann.

Amy Worden (right) joined the Inquirer in 2000 and has covered governors, gubernatorial races, U.S. Senate races and three presidential campaigns. When not covering politics she can be found filing dispatches from disaster scenes or digging into local stories of national import.
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