Not that he win, I mean, come on.

” Chris Matthews, the host of the MSNBC program “Hardball,” told his staff on Wednesday night that he would not run for the Senate in 2010 from Pennsylvania.

For much of the last year, Mr. Matthews had been considering entering the Senate race as a Democrat in his home state at the same time he was renegotiating his contract with NBC News. He had attended several meetings that had included Pennsylvania representatives as well as some major fund-raisers in the Democratic Party.

But Mr. Matthews, who was once a top aide to the House speaker, Tip O’Neill of Massachusetts, and ran for Congress as a Democrat in 1974, never formally declared himself a candidate, a decision which would have forced him out of his position at MSNBC.

In an interview in October, Mr. Matthews said, “People have asked me about it. I’ve never told anyone that I’m running.”

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

Mr. Matthews declined to comment last night, as did executives from NBC News. But one executive said that discussions with Mr. Matthews for a new contract to remain on “Hardball” were continuing.”

Bounce back? Latest cable race from Drudge.

FOXNEWS O’REILLY 2,747,000
FOXNEWS HANNITY/COLMES 1,913,000
FOXNEWS SHEP SMITH 1,754,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 1,377,000
CNN KING 1,373,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,308,000
CNNHN GRACE 1,264,000
MSNBC MADDOW 1,169,000
CNN COOPER 1,035,000

Not even on the radar. Truth is that nobody listens to him on TV = Nobody would vote for him at the ballot box.

Say goodnight Tweety.

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