From Wiki
When Matthews first arrived in Washington, D.C., he worked as an officer with the United States Capitol Police.[14] Subsequently, Matthews served on the staffs of four Democratic Members of Congress, including Senators Frank Moss and Edmund Muskie. In 1974, Matthews mounted an unsuccessful campaign for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in which he received about 24% of the vote in the primary.[15] Matthews was a presidential speechwriter during the Carter Administration, and later worked for six years as Chief of Staff to longtime Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neill, playing a direct role in many key political battles with the Reagan Administration.
Matthews has said, "I'm more conservative than people think I am ... I voted for George W. in 2000."[16] Salon.com called him the "most conservative voice" on MSNBC's primetime lineup.[17] Matthews has been accused by Media Matters for America[18] of having panels of guests that skew to the right and of supporting Republicans in his own questions and comments.[19][20]
On the April 14, 2008, edition of The Colbert Report, Matthews alluded to a possible run for the United States Senate from Pennsylvania.[21] On November 28, 2008, Matthews contacted senior staffers of Barack Obama's campaign about a possible Senate run.[22][23] On January 7, 2009, The New York Times reported that Matthews told his staffers that he would not run for the Senate.[24