Awwwww ... and I was so looking forward to covering Sen. Tweety.
MSNBC host Chris Matthews put an end to speculation that he was considering a bid for the U.S. Senate, telling his producers Wednesday that he had decided not to jump into the 2010 race in his home state of Pennsylvania.
In a routine production meeting before his daily show "Hardball," Matthews informed the staff that he was not going to pursue the seat, network spokesman Jeremy Gaines said. The cable host, who is negotiating a new contract at MSNBC, declined to comment.
For the last several months, Matthews toyed with taking on Republican Sen. Arlen Specter. He went so far as to talk to state Democratic power brokers about what it would take to challenge the five-term senator.
Matthews' interest in the seat put MSNBC in an uncomfortable position as reports mounted that he might run. In recent weeks, executives told him that he needed to make up his mind quickly and let them know his plans.
According to this less-than-flattering profile of Matthews in the NY Times, Matthews' contract is up in June and neither side seemed inclined to renew it, despite this report to the contrary. I wonder what changed Tweety's mind. Maybe he realized the kind of coverage he'd be subjecting himself and his family to, the kind he's been doing himself. Ah, sweet irony.
