Senator Chris Matthews?

The LA Times’ Josh Drobnyk writes about the possibility of a Chris Matthews Senate run in Pennsylvania…

“There are a lot of compelling reasons why serious Democrats would aspire to run in 2010,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney, who had drinks with Matthews in Washington on Monday and said the 62-year-old MSNBC star was in Pennsylvania earlier in the day meeting with other Democratic leaders.

“You look at what has gone on in this state in the past six or seven years and you think nothing is out of reach,” Rooney said. Since 2002, Pennsylvania Democrats have grabbed the gubernatorial mansion, dethroned the Senate’s No. 3 Republican, Rick Santorum, and picked up five U.S. House seats. But just as relevant to the party’s optimism is what has happened outside of the state. The Northeast lost nearly half its slate of Senate Republicans in the previous two elections, leaving Specter with three GOP colleagues from the eight most northeastern states — Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.

This month’s Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan political newsletter that handicaps races, cast Specter as among the four most vulnerable senators of the 35 up for re-election in two years. “He is increasingly isolated from his party as a Republican in a northeastern sea of blue,” said Hershey, Pa.-based pollster Michael Young.

Matthews, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, has coyly dismissed questions about a run in recent months as he lays the groundwork behind the scenes. His contract with MSNBC expires in June.