Specter Leads Matthews in Poll

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) holds a lead over MSNBC host Chris Matthews in a trial run of their possible 2010 Senate race.

According to the Quinnipiac University survey, Specter leads Matthews 45 percent to 33 percent. Specter has a job approval rating of 62 percent. And most Pennsylvania voters — 60 percent — said they don’t know enough about the “Hardball” host to form an opinion of him.

Matthews, who served as an aide to House Speaker Tip O’Neill (D-Mass.) in the 1980s, has left the door open to a possible challenge to Specter, who has served in the Senate since 1981.