Senator Geraldo Rivera? Seems Unlikely the Fox News Pundit will Run

geraldo 4It’s not that entertainers like, say, Al Franken and Jesse Ventura can’t change their image and get elected. But talk-show hosts thrive on controversy, which inevitably alienates potential voters. Do you think Chris Christie, no shrinking violet, is going to let Geraldo cruise to the nomination? And by the way, how does the 69-year-old pundit plan to raise all the money?

The media would love to cover a Geraldo candidacy, or even Senator Geraldo, given the sizable collection of dullards that work in the Capitol. But it is probably a fantasy.

If Geraldo gets serious, Fox News would have to take him off the air, as would his radio syndicator. When such Fox contributors as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum were weighing presidential campaigns, the trigger for booting them was when they took steps toward forming an actual exploratory committee.

On Fox & Friends on Friday morning, Geraldo described himself as a “modern Republican,” saying: “The Senate race is still a good year away … So I’ve got some time to hone a message, get around, and ride my Harley to all parts of the Garden State.”

Don’t worry, Geraldo fans. He can ride that bike all he wants, but the man’s not going anywhere. He’ll talk up his Senate ambitions for awhile, bask in the political limelight, and then stick with his current shtick.

Howard Kurtz is The Daily Beast and Newsweek’s Washington bureau chief, and writes the Spin Cycle blog. He also hosts CNN’s weekly media program Reliable Sources on Sundays at 11 a.m. ET. The longtime media reporter and columnist for The Washington Post, Kurtz is the author of five books.

Article Appeared@http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/02/senator-geraldo-rivera-seems-unlikely-the-fox-news-pundit-will-run.html

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