By Mark Maynard
Kentucky Today
Kentucky Sports Radio host Matt Jones said Friday that he will not be a candidate for the U.S. Senate race in 2020.
The announcement ends speculation that Jones, who has gone back and forth on the decision, would take on U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Matt Jones
“I am coming on this morning to make the announcement that I have decided not to do that,” Jones said. “I am not going to be a candidate for the office.”
Last Wednesday the Republican Party of Kentucky filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission alleging Jones had received illegal campaign contributions by appearing daily on his radio show, which is popular statewide.
He was suspended from doing the show by iHeart radio, who he reiterated made the right decision.
“On Monday and Tuesday I was not going to be a candidate, absent something crazy from happening,” Jones said. “And then something crazy happened on Wednesday and it made it extremely difficult. In the last week it changed the calculus a little bit but ultimately, it came to the same decision.
“So even though I was never a candidate, I’m not going to be a candidate. I’m dissolving the exploratory committee we had, I’m not going to accept any contributions, I’m done at looking at this race. Ultimately, I made this decision because it was the best decision for me personally at this time.”
Earlier this month he was suspended from his television show, Hey Kentucky!, and later permanently was removed after he announced he was writing a book about McConnell called Mitch, Please.
His removal from the radio show triggered a movement among Jones’ fans, who tweeted under the hashtag “FreeMattJones” that was the top trending item in the United States last Thursday.
