Jerry Springer won't run for office in 2006

Former Cincinnati mayor turned talk show host Jerry Springer won’t be running for office in 2006, he said Tuesday.

Springer, a Democrat, had mulled a run for Ohio governor, but said he would defer to Democratic Congressman Ted Strickland in the interests of party unity.

To enter the campaign now, Springer said in a statement, would be “irresponsible, divisive, and a betrayal of principle.”


http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051220/NEWS01/312190020

a great TV show!

We could have Bill Maher guest host the first night.

Jerry should have the 3 Stooges (Blackwell, Petro, & Montgomery) on his show before the Primary, maybe sharing the stage with typical Springer guests. They can explain how the Republican Party is for the folks living in the trailer parks. THAT would be worth watching.

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1135148785186550.xml&storylist=cleveland&thispage=1

12/21/2005, 1:54 a.m. ET
By JOHN McCARTHY
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — ...But his decision to sit out next year's Democratic primary for governor could be a greater contribution, a political scientist says...

"He's a very intelligent guy. On the other hand, he's very divisive. He's paying the price for how he's earning his living the last decade or so," Ohio State University political scientist Paul Beck said. "He certainly can help them raise money. I don't think he can be of much help to a candidate in terms of endorsements."...

"With Jerry, I will never say never. There have been enough twists and turns in his career," said Hamilton County Democratic chairman Tim Burke, a Springer friend for more than 35 years. "I think it's clear that he intends to stay involved in the political life of the state of Ohio."...

Republicans, who have used Springer to accuse Democrats of being out-of-touch with mainstream values, say Springer's decision has no effect on next year's statewide races...



http://www.jerryspringer.com/

http://www.ohiodems.org

http://ohiogop.org

he's been generous with his wealth to help build the party. Its pretty good of him to agree not to run.

I know that a lot of people admire Jerry for his ideological positions and his speaking ability.

But he did the right thing here and I give him kudos for that.

I've seen internal polling data on Jerry. On balance, his campaign would have been a boost to the GOP. Although he MIGHT have brought some new voters into the equation, he would have REALLY energized the opposition. (And those potential new voters {the aforementioned fans of his show} would be very, very difficult to deliver on election day.)

And, just as last time, he saw the same data and realized that he cannot win statewide in Ohio.

Beyond that, if he were to run, it would hurt Democrats both up and down the ticket. The best analogy that I can think of is that it would sort of be like running the Hate Amendment again. Every evangelical soccer mom in Ohio would be jumping in her mini-van and roaring down to local Goper headquarters to volunteer. "Cultural conservatives" who might have sat out the election because of Coingate and the whole Culture of Corruption, would jump back into politics just to stop Jerry.

I don't mean to offend Jerry's supporters, but that's how the data looks to me.