Matthews Leads Pa. Democrats, Ties Specter in Poll

Talk-show host Chris Matthews fares well against Democrats and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) in a new poll of the state’s 2010 U.S. Senate race.

Among Democratic voters in a primary, Matthews gets 24 percent of Democratic voters, while possible candidates Rep. Patrick Murphy and Rep. Allyson Schwartz get 19 percent and 15 percent, respectively, according to the Research 2000 survey. Matthews hasn’t talked publicly about the race, but he has spoken to Democratic officials in the state about a possible bid.

In a general election, Matthews is virtually tied with Specter. The MSNBC personality gets 44 percent while Specter gets 45 percent in the poll, which has a 4 percentage point margin of error.