When tabloid talk show host Jerry Springer walks around town, his fans shout out “Jerry! Jerry!” They want to shake his hand. They want to take a selfie with him.
Springer, a Democrat who once served as Cincinnati mayor, is now weighing whether he can leverage that celebrity — along with the baggage of hosting a controversial show for 26 years — into a successful run for Ohio governor.
“He is in the throes of sorting this out and he can’t take too much longer,” said Jene Galvin, Springer’s close friend and long-time collaborator. Galvin and Springer produce an online podcast together.
Galvin said Democrats from different parts of the state asked Springer to consider running for governor.
Springer abandoned a chance to run for U.S. Senate in 2004 because of negative views of his talk show, which thrived on bad taste stunts, brawls and controversy. Nonetheless, Springer is well-connected in the Ohio Democratic Party, is a charismatic speaker, and can debate a wide breadth of issues.
The fact that a reality TV show host — Donald Trump — won the White House could work both for and against Springer’s chances of winning the governor’s job, Galvin said. “It’s a double-edged sword.”
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