Chris Matthews Advised To Leave MSNBC And Begin Senate Campaign, Report Says

December 4, 2008 12:18 p.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - NBC anchor and pundit Chris Matthews has been advised to quit his post at the network and begin his campaign for senator of Pennsylvania, according to a report.

Speculation is rife that Matthews, host of MSNBC's "Hardball," wants to challenge Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), one of the most senior members of the Senate, in 2010. The 62-year old political commentator has been advised to resign from NBC "as soon as possible" and enter the race in order to demonstrate that he is serious about his candidacy, Politico quotes some Democratic operatives.

But the report also quotes NBC sources as saying talk of a Matthews' run is a ploy to have leverage during negotiations when his contract expires in June.

Matthews last week met with Democratic State Committee Chairman T.J. Rooney and executive director Mary Isenhour in Washington, D.C. about a possible Senate bid, according to The Patriot-News. He is also said to be looking for a house in the Keystone state.

Matthews, whose journalistic career includes more than a decade working as Washington, D.C. bureau chief for the San Francisco Examiner and a David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism, has been accused of being biased and favoring then-Senator Barack Obama during the election.

He had repeatedly expressed admiration for Obama's speeches, famously describing the feeling he had during one of them by saying there was "a thrill going up my leg." During the protracted primary race between Obaman and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Matthews had to apologize to viewers and to the former first lady after he came under fire for saying Clinton's support was due to sympathy for her and her husband's infidelity.