When Matt Jones, the host of the popular sports talk show “Kentucky Sports Radio” landed in Washington, D.C., last week, it was his second trip to the capital since he began eyeing a run as a Democrat in the Bluegrass State’s 6th District against Republican Rep. Andy Barr.
Jones, well known back home after spending 10 hours on the radio each week for the past five years talking about all the things University of Kentucky athletics, was in town a few months ago to hear a pitch from congressional Democrats about “why it might make sense to consider a run” for office.
During last week’s visit, Jones was among the 45 candidates from 36 open or Republican-held congressional districts in town for three days of meetings as part of the the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s biennial “Candidate Week” – though he is still in the “recruitment” phase of a possible campaign.
“Having never run for an office — being a political junkie, but not someone involved in the day-to-day – there are some basics of things that I don’t know,” the 37-year-old said, pointing specifically to complex campaign finance regulations. “If you’re going to be a smart candidate and not some crackpot, you need to know those things.”
He is well known for his expertise on sports, but Jones said he wanted to learn the specifics about building a campaign infrastructure rather than relying fully on the knowledge of campaign consultants to focus on the minutia for him. A Duke-educated lawyer, Jones said, “I’m a detail sweater.”
At first, he tried to start a podcast for the Kentucky Sports Report website. But that site took a pass, telling Jones it would not be successful. So he created his own, Kentucky Sports Radio, in 2005.
“It shows my stubbornness — it made me want to make it successful,” he said.
Even though the show was created to focus on athletics, it has dived into politics. In 2014, he moderated a debate on his show between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Democratic opponent, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. This fall, he hosted a debate with the candidates facing off in Kentucky’s heated governor’s race and had an interview with presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., that made national news.
And Jones has started to appear at political events. He emceed the Fancy Farm Picnic this year — an annual political cattle call in the western tip of the Bluegrass State — and has started to elevate his profile at events put on by Democrats.
He is taking the same careful approach to the possibility of becoming a candidate as he did when he entered sports radio.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in Kentucky to get a lay of the land, the political landscape, and to think about whether this is something I want to do,” he said. “I want to know that I can win. I’m not getting in this to lose.”
The reaction from listeners on the possibility or running has been mixed. Some were encouraging, while others suggested he should stick around to ride out the scandal rocking the University of Louisville athletic department.
A spokesman for Barr said in August that the lawmaker was a fan of Jones’ radio show, but said, “like Congressman Barr, KSR listeners are passionate about University of Kentucky athletics, not politics.”
Having built Kentucky Sports Radio from scratch, Jones said the notion of giving it all up for a seat in Congress is certainly weighing on him. He said it was not clear whether Federal Communications Commission equal-time rules would require him to step aside from his day job, but he said things would certainly get complicated if he does make his candidacy official.
Jones said the kind of talk he’s hearing about a congressional run from the people who say he can’t do it is not unlike what he heard when he first tried to start his radio show.
“They say you’re a radio host and can’t win. Those are the kinds of things that sort of drive you,” he said.
To read the full article visit Roll Call where it was originally published
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
