Pennsylvania Dems Confirm Talks With Chris Matthews

MSNBC host Chris Matthews’s run for Senate is “in its infancy” with a final decision expected early next year, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party told a liberal blog Thursday.

“He’s just talking to people. Conversations are going on, obviously,” Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesman Abe Amoros told TPM Election Central. “We will know whether or not he’s a serious candidate some time early next year.”

The news comes after a poll showed Matthews within striking distance of Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) in the Keystone State’s 2010 matchup, and after Matthews visited a fundraising hotspot for candidates this week. Matthews is also rumored to be engaged in contract negotiations with NBC today, following calls for him to abandon his seat as host of talk show “Hardball” as he contemplates his candidacy.

Amoros said he thinks Matthews could very well beat Specter, though. “It’ll be a dogfight, but every campaign is a dogfight,” he said.