Jerry Springer says he won’t run for governor of Ohio in 2018

Jerry Springer said Thursday he won’t run for governor of Ohio in 2018, shutting down speculation that the television host and former Cincinnati Mayor would jump back into politics.

“Politics is something I love, but in order to be governor of the state of Ohio, it’s a five year commitment — a year of campaigning and four years in office. And you don’t even think about becoming governor of Ohio unless you’re willing to devote every minute of your life for those five years to serving the people of your constituency,” Springer said on his podcast. 

“It’s not something as a husband and a father and a grandfather that I can do at this point,” Springer continued, noting that if we won, he would turn 75 a month after taking office.

{mosads}Springer said he and his family discussed a potential campaign while together for Thanksgiving, but he said he concluded “this is not anything that I would put the family through.” 

Friends previously said Springer was considering running for governor. The television host and former Cincinnati mayor also attended fundraisers over the summer for Democratic Ohio lawmakers. 

Springer has been critical of President Trump, tweeting in June that the president’s attacks on “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski were beneath the dignity “of any decent man.”