Specter: 'I'll be prepared' for 2010 race

WASHINGTON (AP) - November 30, 2008 The 78-year-old Specter declined to speculate on whether he would face Matthews. Matthews reportedly met with Pennsylvania Democratic Party leaders last week about a run. But Specter, a moderate, expects challenges from the left and right as he seeks a sixth term.

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., the head of his party's campaign arm, said he has neither spoken with Matthews, a native Philadelphian, nor any intermediaries for him about a possible challenge to Specter.

The 62-year-old Matthews' contract with MSNBC expires in June. He has worked in Democratic politics before, running unsuccessfully for a northeast Philadelphia congressional seat in 1974 and working for former President Jimmy Carter and former House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr.