Ashley Judd considered as challenger to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

GlobalPost

Actress Ashley Judd's name has been thrown into the ring as a possible contender for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's seat in 2014.

US Rep. John Yarmouth, a Democrat from Kentucky, told the Courier-Journal, "If you had an Ashley Judd-McConnell race, I think it would be as high profile a race as Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown."

The Hill blog noted that Judd isn't a novice to politics. She has been active as a Democrat, participating as a delegate at the Democratic National Committee and recording campaign ads for President Obama.

USA Today noted that Judd has hinted before that she might run for public office, but she never mentioned the US Senate.

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NBC's political correspondent Chuck Todd reported "serious speculation" about Judd being recruited, and The Huffington Post's political analyst Howard Fineman said, "They want her. I know they want her," while appearing on MSNBC. "The money people in Kentucky want Ashley Judd," he said, according to USA Today.

Judd, a Kentucky native, currently lives in Tennessee, but Yarmouth speculated that money would pour in if she entered the race in Kentucky, according to the Courier-Journal.

McConnell has a war chest of about $7 million and has hired former Ron Paul aide Jesse Benton to run his campaign, according to The Hill.

The other possible contenders for McConnell's seat include Kentucky Secretary of State, who Politico pointed out has ruled out a run, Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson and Matthew Barzun, Obama's chief fundraiser, according to the Courier-Journal.

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