Ashley Judd Mulling Senate Run Against McConnell

[LouPhinFan]

"This is not a frivolous thing," Yarmuth said Thursday. "I think she is definitely interested in seeking public office. She has a great interest in public policy, and so I have encouraged her to do that."

Yarmuth also stirred controversy in his election night pledge to do everything he can to deny McConnell a sixth term in the Senate.

"It's funny that a day after the leader of their party, President Obama, called for elected officials to bridge the partisan divide, the Kentucky Democrat party is already sharpening their knives," said Jesse Benton, McConnell's campaign manager, in a statement.

"Still, their desperation is understandable as they no doubt realize what a daunting task it will be to run against Senator McConnell and his un-matched record of serious, principled leadership," Benton continued.

A University of Kentucky graduate with a degree in French, Judd lives in Tennessee and works in Hollywood but bleeds Kentucky blue, often attending and enthusiastically cheering Wildcat basketball games.

WHAS11 News has learned that the actress, a Barack Obama delegate at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, has been in conversations with influential Kentucky Democrats for months.

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This is a horrible idea by Yarmuth and the Democratic party of Kentucky. She faces an uphill battle in this and probably has no shot at winning. All McConnell has to do is run ads showing that she has been living in Tennessee for the past number years and then tie her to the "liberals in Hollywood" and she's toast. I don't care how big a UK fan she is, coal miners won't vote for her. McConnell usually runs a tight, vicious campaign. She wouldn't survive it.

[Tetragrammaton]

McConnell only won 53 percent of the vote in 2008, but in a midterm election with higher Republican turnout makes him look hard to beat.

[LouPhinFan]

McConnell only won 53 percent of the vote in 2008, but in a midterm election with higher Republican turnout makes him look hard to beat.

Judd just has way to much democratic baggage. She was an Obama delegate, and McConnell can use that against her as well. Obama lost my state pretty handily Tuesday.

Kentucky votes democrat for the most part at the local level and Republican at the national level. Currently Yarmuth is the only Democrat we're sending to Congress and that's because he represents my area of Louisville. The culture of my state is divided as basically the Louisville metro area and then the rest of the state. The state in general doesn't like us "city slickers" here in Louisville and it can be very difficult to get funding for anything out of Frankfort for stuff in Louisville. That's why it is a minor miracle that the KFC Yum! Center got built downtown. It took Rick Pitino to get it built.

[Eshlemon]

Judd just has way to much democratic baggage. She was an Obama delegate, and McConnell can use that against her as well. Obama lost my state pretty handily Tuesday.

Kentucky votes democrat for the most part at the local level and Republican at the national level. Currently Yarmuth is the only Democrat we're sending to Congress and that's because he represents my area of Louisville. The culture of my state is divided as basically the Louisville metro area and then the rest of the state. The state in general doesn't like us "city slickers" here in Louisville and it can be very difficult to get funding for anything out of Frankfort for stuff in Louisville. That's why it is a minor miracle that the KFC Yum! Center got built downtown. It took Rick Pitino to get it built.

You can never discount and underestimate the "star" influence over voters...Conan was elected a couple times as governor of California.

[TheWalrus]

Al Franken won a Senate seat, though Minnesota is on another planet politically from Kentucky, obviously.

It's pretty hard to unseat guys in these leadership positions unless they're vulnerable demographically the way Daschle was in South Dakota. Even then it took a rising star in Thune to finally beat him. I doubt she'll decide to do it, nor do I know how serious she is politically, but I can't see how it'd hurt. At least she'd be on equal footing financially.

[Locke]

Al Franken won a Senate seat, though Minnesota is on another planet politically from Kentucky, obviously.

It's pretty hard to unseat guys in these leadership positions unless they're vulnerable demographically the way Daschle was in South Dakota. Even then it took a rising star in Thune to finally beat him. I doubt she'll decide to do it, nor do I know how serious she is politically, but I can't see how it'd hurt. At least she'd be on equal footing financially.

Plus, it'll be nice to see an attractive woman instead of a grizzly old dude for once...

[Valandui]

Al Franken won a Senate seat, though Minnesota is on another planet politically from Kentucky, obviously.

It's pretty hard to unseat guys in these leadership positions unless they're vulnerable demographically the way Daschle was in South Dakota. Even then it took a rising star in Thune to finally beat him. I doubt she'll decide to do it, nor do I know how serious she is politically, but I can't see how it'd hurt. At least she'd be on equal footing financially.

Even then, Franken barely won. The Democrats in Minnesota kept demanding recounts until they got one they liked and a judge declared him the winner when that didn't happen.

[LouPhinFan]

You can never discount and underestimate the "star" influence over voters...Conan was elected a couple times as governor of California.

Completely different voting public in KY than in CA. In KY the fact that she's a die hard UK fan is far more important than her being a movie star. But even that wouldn't get her elected.

[jared81]

Judd just has way to much democratic baggage. She was an Obama delegate, and McConnell can use that against her as well. Obama lost my state pretty handily Tuesday.

Kentucky votes democrat for the most part at the local level and Republican at the national level. Currently Yarmuth is the only Democrat we're sending to Congress and that's because he represents my area of Louisville. The culture of my state is divided as basically the Louisville metro area and then the rest of the state. The state in general doesn't like us "city slickers" here in Louisville and it can be very difficult to get funding for anything out of Frankfort for stuff in Louisville. That's why it is a minor miracle that the KFC Yum! Center got built downtown. It took Rick Pitino to get it built.

i always find that interesting how states vote one way locally but another nationally. Florida is the same way, our local and state is ran by republicans but democrat nationally.

[LouPhinFan]

i always find that interesting how states vote one way locally but another nationally. Florida is the same way, our local and state is ran by republicans but democrat nationally.

It's mainly because the Democratic party has been in power in Kentucky for a number of decades (which has lead KY to be one of the most corrupt state governments). Occasionally there is a Republican governor (the last one being Ernie Fletcher, he of the capitol flyover that caused evacs from government buildings fame). He was a blundering idiot former doctor that only won because the rural areas voted for him BECAUSE he was a doctor. People in rural areas trust doctors. There's actually currently a Republican state house that constantly fights with the Democrat governor. There's really no rhyme or reason to KY state politics.