Talk show host Jerry Spring is seriously considering a run for Ohio governor, according to a close friend of the former Cincinnati mayor.
The revelation comes after months of speculation and even denials from Springer that he was considering another foray into seeking public office.
“There have been those who have asked him to run for governor, and he is considering it and will decide that pretty soon,” Jene Galvin, Springer’s co-host for his weekly podcast, told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Springer has reportedly been floating the idea with high-level Ohio Democrats and has even asked, “Is it too late to enter the Ohio governor’s race?”
He is also said to be meeting with consultants who are polling the race as he decides whether or not he will enter what is already a crowded primary field.
Galvin said she expects Springer to make an announcement regarding his political future within the next two weeks.
Four candidates have already declared their candidacy, including former congresswoman Betty Sutton. The current Republican governor, John Kasich, has served two consecutive terms and cannot run for a third in a row.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray and former congressman and Fox News contributor Dennis Kucinich have also been floated as possible candidates.
Springer served on Cincinnati’s City Council from 1971 until 1974, when he was forced to resign after he became embroiled in a prostitution scandal. He later served one year as the city’s mayor.
This is not the first time Springer has set his sights on the Ohio Governor’s Mansion. He ran unsuccessfully in 1982, even releasing ads acknowledging that he used a check to pay a prostitute, adding that he was not afraid of the truth “even if it hurts.”
