Ashley Judd ‘Seriously’ Considering Senate Run Against Mitch McConnell
Might actress Ashley Judd be interested in challenging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2014? Perhaps, says POLITICO. The report, published on Tuesday, says Judd is “seriously considering” a Senate run.
According to “four people familiar with the matter”…
In recent weeks, Judd has spoken with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) about the possibility of a run, has discussed a potential bid with a Democratic pollster and has begun to conduct opposition research on herself to see where she’s most vulnerable in the Bluegrass State, sources say.
But she may also be waiting it out until 2016 to take on Sen. Rand Paul instead.
“She is doing all the things that a serious candidate exploring a race should do,” Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) told POLITICO after speaking with her. “I think there are a lot of people, and I was one of them, who wanted to let her know that her candidacy would be an exciting prospect for us. That’s what I wanted her to know. A lot of the labor unions, they were telling me that too.”
A Judd spokeswoman declined to comment beyond an earlier statement when the actress said she was “very honored” by the consideration, but didn’t shut the door on a run.
The report goes on to note that some Democrats are urging Judd to run because “recruiting isn’t easy against McConnell,” and Judd “could raise a ton of cash, energize the base and would have significant name recognition in the state.” Others are more hesitant: “She’d be pegged as a liberal, out of touch with conservative Kentucky; she has no experience running for office; and she now lives outside her home state.”
Dan Logsdon, chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party, also weighed in.
“She’s got tremendous name recognition, and she’s going to be able to raise the funds she’d need to run against somebody like Sen. McConnell,” said Dan Logsdon, chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party. “But she also has got some issues with regard to certain stances she’s taken regarding coal that the Republicans will certainly try to exploit. Her answer to that, I think, would be frankly that she was talking about coal company practices, not necessarily coal or coal miners.
During an event (hosted by EMILY’s List and Marie Claire magazine) where she was a panelist, alongside Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Judd herself briefly mentioned a possible future in public office.
“I do receive a lot of encouragement to run,” Judd said. “And my deepest desire is to be useful. I want to help serve my fellow [citizens]. And I may be doing that to the best of my capacity … in the space I’m already operating in. Or it may be time to look at possibly running for office.”
Possibly.
Read the full report over at POLITICO.
