Matthews talking politics with Western Pa. official

The biggest buzz words in Pennsylvania politics continue to be "Chris Matthews."

Allegheny County Democratic Chairman Jim Burn told The Forty-Fourth Estate he has kept the host of MSNBC's "Hardball" apprised of Western Pennsylvania politics since the state's primary in April.

“Chris was very inquisitive about the dynamic here in the west, but equally as coy regarding whether or not he would actually run for the U.S. Senate,” Burn told the political blog, which is part of The Tribune-Review.

Rumors about Matthews' potential candidacy have danced across the Internet the past week, with reports "confirming" he was running for the Democratic nomination for Senate and counter-reports disputing their accuracy. It was confirmed Matthews did talk with State Democratic Party leader T.J. Rooney and Mary Isenhour, although Isenhour said he did not give any indication about whether he would run.

Burn said he told Matthews he would be an outstanding candidate.

“First, he grew up in the Philadelphia area, and has an extensive familiarity with the political dynamic of Philadelphia and of Eastern Pennsylvania," Burn said.

He added those ties could be critical if he faced U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Philadelphia).

See also on PolitickerPA.com:

• Rasmussen: Specter 46 percent, Matthews 43 percent
• Dauphin County D-Party Chair says she's talked with Matthews