HispanicBusiness

Lou Dobbs' abrupt departure from CNN may have been a victory for his detractors, but for Dobbs, the bitter pill was no doubt sweetened by CNN's parting gift of $8 million.

And for his detractors -- in particular Hispanic immigration activists -- the sweet victory could soon be dampened. That's because many are speculating that Dobbs may challenge the nation's only Hispanic U.S. Senator, Robert Menendez, a Democrat, for his New Jersey seat.

A firebrand on illegal immigration, Dobbs had become an enemy of immigration activists, and a liability to CNN, which has sought to position itself as the middle-of-the-road cable alternative to Fox News on the right and MSNBC on the left.

Dobbs' $12 million contract wasn't set to expire until the end of 2011, but The New York Post reported that he was paid $8 million to terminate it early. He'd been at the station for 27 years.

During his first post-resignation interview with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, Dobbs said he believed his style become untenable to CNN after the election of President Obama.

Asked if speculation that he might run for the Senate in New Jersey had any truth, Dobbs didn't deny it.

"A lot of things are on my mind," Dobbs responded. "I'm not going to be coy about this....I'm thinking — my wife and I are thinking about a lot of opportunities. I'm very blessed to have a lot of opportunities."

The incumbent for that position is Robert Menendez -- currently the nation's only Hispanic U.S. senator.

This week, the Menendez administration issued a statement about the speculation.

"Senator Menendez has his nose to the grindstone to help create an economic recovery for New Jersey families and will not be distracted by an election three years away," Menendez spokesman Afshin Mohamadi told the New York Times. "I'm sure that he would relish eventually having an opponent from so far out of the mainstream and who has never done a thing for the hard-working people of New Jersey, but the senator's focus is on jobs, not Dobbs."