Less than a day after announcing he was pondering a run for the U.S. Senate, broadcaster Geraldo Rivera said Thursday he was already sitting this campaign out.
“After a 36-hour pondering whirlwind I’ve decided not to seek public office. Erica and I deeply appreciate the good wishes of those cheering the idea,” Rivera said on Twitter, referring to his wife.
Rivera’s tweet came 22 hours after he initially said he was “pondering running” for the Ohio seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Rob Portman.
After his initial announcement Wednesday, Rivera shot off several others using #Geraldo4Ohio, including one where he stated, “From the Great River to the Great Lake, I’ll fight for you.”
Rivera, 77, has lived in Shaker Heights, Ohio, since 2017 and hosts a radio show in Cleveland. He had a long television career as a reporter and talk show host and is now a “roaming correspondent at large” with the Fox News network.
Rivera was a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump but their relationship soured after the 2020 election. Rivera criticized Trump for his refusal to accept his loss to President Joe Biden, saying Trump was acting “like an entitled frat boy.”
Rivera also toyed with the idea of a Republican Senate run in 2014 in New Jersey. He never became a candidate.
