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When ex-Rep. Joe Hoeffel (D-Pa.) ran into television host Chris Matthews recently, Matthews didn’t ask him to play “Hardball.”

Instead, Hoeffel said, Matthews brought up a possible bid for a Pennsylvania Senate seat in 2010.

“He was thinking about it enough to chat with me a little about it when we bumped into each other socially,” Hoeffel recalled.

Although Sen. Arlen Specter (R) remains popular, the fact that the Keystone State is trending ever more Democratic means he could face a strong challenge in two years. It’s also possible that Specter, who is 78 and suffers from Hodgkin’s disease, could retire after five terms in the Senate, creating a wide-open race to succeed him.

It’s a scenario that Hoeffel knows more than a little bit about: A former Congressman who is now a Montgomery County commissioner, Hoeffel himself ran against Specter in 2004. Accordingly, he advised Matthews to “take a page” from the playbook of one of his “Hardball” TV guests, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), and do a listening tour around the entire state in 2009 if he wants to run.

“Frankly, I think he needs to do that,” Hoeffel said. “His celebrity is a two-edge sword.”

Because of his celebrity status, Matthews, who was born and raised in Philadelphia, but has lived in suburban Maryland for years, would have no trouble scheduling quiet meetings with state Democratic bosses, but Hoeffel advised him to take time to meet people all over Pennsylvania.

In media interviews, Matthews has been coy about a potential bid. But in an appearance this spring with host Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” Matthews confessed his longtime interest in holding office.

“Did you ever want to be something your whole life? Besides this?” Matthews asked. “You know some kids group up and they want to be a fireman? I wanted to be a Senator. ... But you know, I have to deal with these things as they come.”

But it’s unclear just how serious Matthews, who has worked on Capitol Hill and in the White House, is about mounting a bid for Senate. Hoeffel said that while Matthews had spontaneously discussed a bid with him, he had not heard of him talking with other people about the race. And a handful of other Democratic operatives from across the state said they had heard Matthews was talking with folks about the race, but others said neither they nor anyone they knew had talked with him specifically about a bid.

Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairman Marcel Groen said he had a “peripheral” conversation with Matthews about a bid for the seat, though he’s not sure how his candidacy would play in the state.

“He’s a celebrity,” Groen said. “A lot of people in the county watch his show. But I can’t tell you that he has a specific kind of following in the county that would be different than any other part of the state, other than his family is from here.”

Matthews’ brother, Montgomery County Commissioner Jim Matthews (R), is already an elected official in the area and lost a statewide bid for lieutenant governor in 2006.

Democratic Party Southwest Caucus Chairman Jack Hanna said he had heard Matthews was talking about a bid with notable Democrats in the area, but said he has yet to receive a personal phone call.

“The contacts are being made, and he’s in the process of laying the groundwork for potentially future actions and efforts,” Hanna said.