The Hollywood movie star and eighth-generation Kentuckian is seriously exploring a 2014 run for the Senate to take on the powerful Republican leader, four people familiar with the matter tell POLITICO. 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.
Whether Judd jumps into the race remains far from certain. She’s reportedly also weighing whether to wait until 2016 to instead take on freshman Sen. Rand Paul, sources say.
But if Judd does become a candidate, she would be the biggest celebrity to run for the Senate since Al Franken’s successful 2008 bid for the Minnesota seat. And her entrance would add a level of star power to a race that was already poised to be the highest-profile in the country with the Senate Republican leader up for a sixth term in 2014.
“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.”
You know after I first reported on this, some stories came out that tried to ruin my Christmas by suggesting this was not going to happen. But I knew that I had been a good boy and deserved the opportunity to write about this match-up between the lovely Ashley Judd and the hateful man-turtle Mitch McConnell.
I guess I have to consider the possibility that this will NOT happen, but right now all of my fingers and toes are crossed because this would be the most entertaining story to come my way since I chronicled Sarah Palin's political aspirations burst into flames and crash into the Alaska tundra.
If possible watching Ashley Judd knock that king of obstruction Mitch McConnell on his ass and take away his Senate seat might even be MORE satisfying than watching the Palin family debacle.
I'm stoked!
I so agree! Plus, she'd be much easier to look at than McConnell. And, she is one smart lady - highly educated, well spoken and has the star power too. It would be a neat race to watch there is no doubt!
ReplyDeletesecond dat!! big time!!
DeleteNote to Uncle Grypen: I love you for being funny as hell!
The Religious Right Freaks Out Over West Point’s First Same-Sex Marriage
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politicususa.com/religious-rights-reaction-west-points-same-sex-marriage.html
Ashley isn't your average narcissistic actress. Ashley is very well educated and has a mind like a steel trap, understands politics very well, and she's articulate as all heck. How that would translate to those back woods Kentuckian's who love them some McConnell obstructionism, I don't know. But I sure would love to see that race!
ReplyDeleteI'm stoked about this too! Go, Ashley!
ReplyDeleteShe's a smart lady for sure, but her bipolar disorder means she would be absolutely crucified before even getting near a serious political run. We have a very bad public attitude about mental illness and most people see the word "bipolar" and think it means "unfit for office." Her brutal opponents would use this to destroy her chances because they have no shame.
ReplyDeleteAlso, (heinous lie, rumor, rumor) she does supposedly have some real problems with regulating her condition, as so many with this illness do. Movie set reports I've been privy to say that stress makes it much worse for her, and can you imagine the stress of a real campaign and the strain it would put on her? Remember the pics that were going around in not that long ago when she was being horribly criticized in the tabs about her "puffy face?" She was on a different med then and probably on a newer med now. It takes a lot to manage this condition and having to tweak, readjust, or change your meds is very common. This results in times when you can be very uneven as your brain chemistry has to sort of reset itself; this makes it very hard to work regularly and also it makes it hard not to come off as a bitch and piss of a lot of people periodically -- as my heinous lie sources say Ashley has done on sets numerous times (probably due to her illness.)
Wish her the best, though. I wish more smart ladies like her would take a stab at politics.
Media Insider aka Jennifer
I saw her on a talk show, within the last year, can't remember which, but she has a therapy dog that is now with her 24/7 to help manage her anxiety.
DeleteI think she is very intelligent and certainly has good ideas, but I do believe that she'd be eaten alive in a political race, especially against someone as prominent as McConnell.
I had no idea about the bi-polar thing. Thanks for that info.
DeleteIn her book she doesn't reference being mentally ill at all. She certainly talks about everything else. She has encouraged me and I'm sure other women to run for office as well. I'm going to ask her, but until I hear it from her, not believing the Bipolar bit.
Delete"heinous lie sources"? I know that's a typo (or iPad autospell), but really could describe almost any republican! And, thanks for the info jen
DeleteOK beep beep beep back up the truck. I could find no reliable sources supporting any claim that Ashley Judd suffers bipolar disorder. One website called "Shame the Celebrity" says it is "rumored". According to a WebMD site, Ms Judd acknowledged that she was treated for depression on 2006. So thanks again Jennifer, love your posts, but have to take thus one with a heaping spoonful if salt.
DeleteWhat? There are loads of articles about Ashley's bipolar disorder. I'm not sure which year it was publicly announced, but even in just a brief scan today online I found loads of sources. I think later she minimized this as chronic depression in many interviews, understandably so. Bipolar too often "brands" you as unfit for work and it's great that she had a chance to do that Missing TV show this year. But really, just do a little research, okay? :)
DeleteMedia Insider aka Jennifer
DWTS Val Chmerovskiy wanted to be paired with Bristol Palin, not Kelly Monaco but NOT for the reason you might think.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.examiner.com/article/dwts-val-chmerovskiy-wanted-to-be-paired-with-bristol-palin-not-kelly-monaco
LOL
11:10 Sounds very gossipy to me vs facts!
ReplyDeleteFYI -- Two great news stories:
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Warren Gets a Banking Committee Seat
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/12/elizabeth-warren-senate-banking-committee-seat
Exclusive: Dick Armey Quits Tea Party Group in Split Over Direction
"The former Republican House majority leader quietly resigned last week as chair of FreedomWorks with a memo suggesting this is no amicable parting"
OUCH!! YIPPEE!!! The lying crook quit!!!
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/12/dick-armey-resigns-freedomworks-tea-party
Ashley Judd, aspiring to the Senate.
ReplyDeleteSarah Palin, aspiring to QVC overnight.
I am so looking forward to getting out my political donations checkbook if she does!
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't like coal and she doesn't live in Kentucky = NO CHANCE
ReplyDeleteNO, she doesn't like coal accidents where miners are killed each year and yes she has a home there and is much loved.
DeleteBipolar is a tough ailment and the uneven personality habits and cyclical ups and downs do not seem the right attributes for a politician, and certainly not for one I would want to support.
ReplyDeleteBipolar people (read The Unquiet Mind for insight from a professional about her personal battles with the disease)lead roller coaster lives, never knowing when the dips and mountain top hallucinations render them incapacitated or too out of control to be safe to themselves and others.
They seem to have delusions of grandeur that allow them to think they are superhuman and then plummet to depths that render them unable to cope or manage their own lives until they recover.
Medically we are told the only hope of some semblance of controlling the malady necessitates both prescription drugs and therapy.
Jamison, author of The Unquiet Mind, says in the book she would never NOT want to be bipolar as long as there is Lithium to help her. She says it's because no drug can provide the incredible, exciting hallucinations she experiences as part of her disease.
Ashley Judd may have delusions of grandeur and seem like she is methodically approaching a possible run. With my unfortunate personal daily exposure to bipolar afflicted individuals, historic tales regarding their BIPOLAR parents and grandparents' behaviors it seems Judd needs to pursue something where she can absent herself when episodes of depression, manic or panic attacks occur.
One persons experience is not everyones, there are many different levels of being bipolar, just like there are many levels of any mental illness. Not every person with depression is suicidal, but some people who have depression are.
DeletePresident Lincoln was documented as having depression, in an era when helper drugs were not available.
Hmmmmm, sounds like you are describing Sarah Palin, the mentally ill, drug & alcohol abusing Queen of the GOP.
DeleteRumored bi-polar slams aside, what people are not considering is that dear Mitch himself is very vulnerable. Considering that he has never won landslide elections in KY, and that he actually lost a number of Senators in the election, he's a prime target for a TParty candidate take over. Dems in KY should be quietly promoting that as McCaskill did in MO. Let's see - Ashley Judd - TP crazy? My bet would be for Ashley's victory. And she'd be great. The bipolar info is undoubtedly nothing more than an early smear tactic by the Rethugs. They're afraid of her.
DeleteI'm all for her running for office. She's smart, confident, speaks in complete sentences and comes across as a genuinely caring person. Just what we need in politics. And, yes, she's easy on the eyes and a great actress.
ReplyDeleteshe isn't bi-polar. there is no evidence of this anywhere, media, her book, her interviews. the rest is heresy. just plain "rumor" sounds like people are just trying to dis-credit her. I hope Ashley Tyler goes for it and beats turtle man!
ReplyDeletewhoever believes she's bipolar will believe anything they read. there is no evidence of this anywhere as someone else has pointed out. Depression is not bi-polar. People gonna talk. that's just a fact of life. Turtle-man is going down IF she decides to run! please, Ashley, do it for your state!
ReplyDelete