Is Chris Matthews playing a little hardball with his bosses at MSNBC, or is the "Hardball" host really serious about challenging Arlen Specter in the 2010 Senate race?

Neither Mr. Matthews nor MSNBC was talking yesterday, but the general answer to that question from top Democratic officials and strategists in the Philadelphia region was: maybe.

"My sense is that he's seriously considering it," said Joe Hoeffel, a Democrat who serves alongside Mr. Matthews' brother, Jim, a Republican, on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

Mr. Hoeffel said he's heard from Mr. Matthews twice -- once in May, and then about a month ago, "when he called me during the Phillies playoffs to talk. He was definitely kicking the idea around."

And not just with Mr. Hoeffel. Mr. Matthews has talked with Gov. Ed Rendell, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, who chairs the Democratic Party in Philadelphia, and Marcel Groen, who chairs the Democratic Party in Montgomery County.

But "it was always in the context of the presidential campaign," said Mr. Groen, who asked him during one phone call if he was interested in the Senate race, "and I just got a laugh from him, not a serious answer."

Indeed, the buzz in the blogosphere over the weekend was that MSNBC would soon announce a new contract with Mr. Matthews, 62 -- albeit one less pricey than his current pact with its $5 million annual salary. Not only would that be a reflection of parent company NBC's current cost-cutting measures, it was speculated, but also of Mr. Matthews' declining status at the cable TV network, which removed him from anchoring political coverage and made him a commentator during the election.

The voluble Mr. Matthews made a series of remarks during the campaign that angered feminist groups and others. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was elected to the Senate out of sympathy from voters "because her husband messed around," Mr. Matthews once declared.

He also startled some viewers when he said President-elect Barack Obama's speech after a primary victory prompted "this thrill going up my leg."

Some have suggested that Mr. Matthews is using talk of a Senate race as leverage with MSNBC, noted Terry Madonna, a political scientist at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.

"Sure, he's talked to a ton of Pennsylvania people, Rendell, Hoeffel, and Brady, but MSNBC has two hours to fill at five o'clock and at seven o'clock, and with David Gregory moving to 'Meet the Press,' they may decide he's a value to them and they'll reach a deal," Mr. Madonna said.

Such an announcement couldn't come soon enough. After Politico.com reported last week that Mr. Matthews was "dead serious" about a Senate run, had met with fundraisers and was buying a house in Philadelphia to establish residency in the state, media organizations criticized him -- and MSNBC -- for violating the trust of viewers by appearing on the air every night as a political commentator while possibly preparing to enter politics himself.

Mr. Matthews could not be reached for comment and "MSNBC doesn't comment on speculative stories," said spokeswoman Alana Russo.

Certainly, Mr. Matthews' high name recognition would help him in a race against Mr. Specter, who, despite a recurrence of cancer, remains a formidable candidate and has been energetically fundraising around the state -- $8 million so far for a race that may end up costing either candidate $20 million.

Mr. Matthews is no political neophyte: Before making a name as one of cable television news's more vociferous talking heads, Mr. Matthews served as a speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter and an aide to late House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, D-Mass.

"Chris Matthews would be a strong candidate, but I only know what I'm reading in the media like everyone else," said Neil Oxman, a media consultant based in Philadelphia who said he's been urging Mr. Matthews to run for years, but also said he hasn't spoken to him for the last few weeks.

While 62 percent of voters approved of Mr. Specter's job performance, according to a Quinnipiac Poll last month, a Rasmussen poll released last Tuesday showed a close race in a Specter-Matthews matchup: Among likely voters, the split was 46 percent to 43 percent, respectively.

"Republican Sen. Arlen Specter is potentially vulnerable in his 2010 bid for re-election," Rasmussen reported.

A number of names have been bandied about as possible challengers to Mr. Specter, including U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz and state Rep. Josh Shapiro, both of Montgomery County, and U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak of Delaware County. But it's unlikely that Ms. Schwartz would give up her seniority on various House committees, political observers said, and Mr. Sestak and U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Bucks, another contender, would have to give up their congressional seats to run against Mr. Specter.

On the GOP side, it's rumored that former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, who barely lost to Mr. Specter in the 2004 primary and is now president of the conservative Club for Growth, will run for governor.

Mr. Toomey nonetheless told The Hill newspaper last week that the senator is "significantly more vulnerable now than he was in 2004."

While Mr. Specter will be a tough, resilient opponent, "2010's Pennsylvania Senate race will be a marquee race," said Mr. Madonna, noting that Democrats see Mr. Specter's seat as an opportunity to get to a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.