US: Jerry Springer last night abandoned plans to become a US senator for Ohio, saying it would be impossible to stand for office while hosting his notorious TV show.
The multi-millionaire said pulling out of the race had been the toughest decision of his life. "As long as I'm still doing my show, my message, no matter how sincere and how heartfelt, does not get through to the people I need to reach," he told a packed news conference. "There has to be separation between the show and my entrance into politics. That separation obviously has not taken place". Springer (59) had filed legal papers to run for the Ohio seat and started to broadcast adverts to build support for the Democratic nomination ahead of next year's election.
A liberal, who once ran for Congress as an anti-Vietnam candidate, he had promised to reach out to "regular folks. . . who weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouth." Springer was mayor of Cincinnati before starting his TV show 13 years ago.