Glen Macnow, the popular WIP sports radio host, has contemplated running for Congress in the Philadelphia suburbs.
He said he “gave very serious thought” to challenging Delaware County Republican Pat Meehan this year.
“I am concerned about the country,” Macnow said. “I don’t like what’s being left for my children and my grandchildren in terms of the environment and debt and lack of civility.”
Macnow, a former Inquirer sports reporter, said he identifies as a “moderate” Democrat.
“I don’t know who sees themselves in the middle in either party. But I really see myself as kind of in the middle, which is one of my frustrations with everything.”
Macnow said he talked about a potential bid with “four current or past members of Congress” and “people who know how to run campaigns,” as well as “some people in media.” But he ultimately decided against it, he said.
A source said a former congressman told Macnow that he spent virtually all his time raising money for campaigns. Macnow responded carefully when asked if that’s what dissuaded him.
“Here’s how I’ll put that,” he said. “I would have liked to serve in Congress and serve the public. I think I would not have enjoyed — at all — the prospect of asking everybody I know as well as complete strangers to give me a lot of money.”
National Democrats believe Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District is one of the seats they can potentially take this fall. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has put the district on its “target list.”
Several candidates have announced that they are running in the 7th’s Democratic primary, including State Sen. Daylin Leach, who is facing allegations that he “engaged in questionable behavior with young female staffers and volunteers, from highly sexualized jokes and comments to touching they deemed inappropriate.”
Macnow said his “thinking about the [race] got very serious after this stuff came out on Daylin. … That’s when I said, ‘If I’m ever going to do it, this would be the moment to do it.'”
Asked if no was his final decision, Macnow said, “Oh, I think so. … If I were going to get in, I would probably have had to do it by January 1st.”
The “biggest factor” in his decision, Macnow said, is he didn’t want to quit his day job.
“I am really looking forward to hosting the Eagles’ pre-game Sunday show for the NFC Championship Game at the Linc. Frostbite be damned.”
Comment policy:
Philly.com comments are intended to be civil, friendly conversations. Please treat other participants with respect and in a way that you would want to be treated. You are responsible for what you say. And please, stay on topic. If you see an objectionable post, please report it to us using the "Report Abuse" option.
Please note that comments are monitored by Philly.com staff. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable. Personal attacks, especially on other participants, are not permitted. We reserve the right to permanently block any user who violates these terms and conditions.
Additionally comments that are long, have multiple paragraph breaks, include code, or include hyperlinks may not be posted.