Matthews May Quit MSNBC for Senate Run

Chris Matthews is seriously considering leaving MSNBC in preparation for a US Senate campaign, friends and NBC colleagues tell Politico. The Hardball host is dead set on making a run and has already picked out a home in his native Philadelphia to meet the residency requirement, according to one Democratic operative. But some NBC insiders suspect it’s all just a ploy to land Matthews a bigger TV contract.

Matthew’s NBC contract expires in June, but advisers are telling him to step down before that if he’s serious about running. “I advocated that he do this as soon as possible,” the operative said. “I said, ‘If you want to be a US senator, step up and get into the race.'” NBC also hopes for a quick decision, worried that his run will fuel accusations of Democratic favoritism. (More Chris Matthews stories.)