No Senate Run For Springer
Television talk show host Jerry Springer said Friday he won't run for the U.S. Senate because of other obligations. Springer, often criticized for his show's trashy topics and brawling guests, had considered running against Republican Sen. Mike DeWine.
"My current contractual obligations and commitments here in the United States as well as in England, make it impractical if not impossible for me to make a run for the Senate at this time," Springer said in a written statement issued by his office in Chicago.
The prospect of his candidacy was condemned by office holders and officials in both parties, as well as editorial writers.
"My only reaction is pure joy," said U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio, who had vowed never to share a stage with Springer if he was the party's nominee. Strickland had been recruited to run for the Senate but decided to remain in the House.
"I don't want him to run. I think he is a joke," Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., had said earlier.
But Springer received support from organized labor in Ohio and some party members. Labor leaders noted Springer has fame and money that could have produced a successful Senate run.
The most experienced Democrats in Ohio have passed on the chance to run against the first-term DeWine. Only Richard Cordray, a former state representative with little statewide name recognition, is exploring a candidacy.
Springer, 55, was mayor of Cincinnati for two terms and ran for governor, in 1982, before starting a TV career. He was an anchor and commentator before becoming a daytime talk show host.
The idea of a Senate run surfaced in late July, when Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Burke told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer that Springer would be a "viable, fascinating, interesting candidate."
"I'm very disappointed," Burke said Friday. "I believed and I still believe that Jerry would have been a great candidate. He would have defeated Mike DeWine and most importantly, he would have been a great United States senator."