In the words of Chris Matthews — HA!

But this is no laughing matter. The MSNBC talk show host is apparently seriously considering running for U.S. Senate from his native Pennsylvania. The LATimes reports Matthews, “has been toying with a run for months, and this week he sat down with state Democrats to discuss the prospect” of challenging five-term GOP senator Arlen Specter.

TVNewser first reported on the possibility back in January, during the New Hampshire primary when Matthews was overheard telling a local politician, “Nothing will get done in Washington until there is a large enough majority in the Senate – maybe I’ll run for Senate.” Well, that democratic majority in the Senate has grown, and could increase even more in the coming weeks depending on the outcomes of races in Georgia and Minnesota.

In February, Matthews told TVNewser, “I’ve always dreamed of being a senator from Pennsylvania and everybody I know knows it. But, I also have the greatest and most perfect job for a guy like me and I have no plans to change that.”

We’ll see.

(via ICN)

> Update: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette poll on the race compiled by Quinnipiac University (Nov 19-24): Republican incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter leads TV commentator Chris Matthews, a possible Democratic challenger, 45-33 percent. Sen. Specter leads 72-9 percent among Republicans and 45-27 percent among independent voters, while Matthews leads 55-25 percent among Democrats.