COLUMBUS, Ohio — Talk show host Jerry Springer has a secret of his own to share: He's considering running for the U.S. Senate next year.
Springer, a Democrat, said he'll decide by summer whether to challenge George Voinovich, a Republican who has said he'll run for a second term in 2004.
He acknowledged that his nationally syndicated Jerry Springer Show could work against him. Guests divulge their intimate secrets -- and frequently strip down to their intimate apparel -- on episodes with titles like "Your Lover Is Mine!" and "Explosive Betrayals!"
"There are pluses and minuses," Springer said. "The plus is that I'm known by everybody. The minus is that I'm known by everybody."
Springer figures it would take $20 million to beat Voinovich and as much as $5 million to win a Democratic primary.
"I have the resources," the 59-year-old millionaire said Wednesday night before speaking at the winter meeting of the Ohio Democratic Party Chairs Association.
Springer is a former Cincinnati mayor and councilman who lost the Democratic primary for governor in 1982 and considered running for the Senate in 2000. He said he also may run for Cincinnati mayor in 2005 or governor in 2006.
"I want to be helpful in rebuilding the party," he said. "Whether I have to be a candidate is a totally separate issue. ... I don't need a job."
SHOW ME YOUR TITS