Ashley Judd 'Doesn't Know' If She'd Make Kentucky Senate Run, Mother Says

Ashley Judd's Mother Weighs In On Potential Senate Run

Actress and political activist Ashley Judd hasn't decided if she'll mount a Democratic challenge against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in 2014, her mother, Naomi Judd, said in a recent interview.

“OK, here’s the deal. As of right now, she doesn’t know,” Judd's mom, a country singer, told Larry King in a web interview published on Ora TV Monday. “I can tell you she’s very interested in changing the world. And she knows that politics unfortunately right now is one of the ways she could do that. But I made her promise that if she should make a decision, that I’m the first to know.”

Judd, a Kentucky native and vocal Democrat who has supported President Barack Obama in his two presidential campaigns, has reportedly been mulling the prospect of challenging McConnell, a political powerhouse in Kentucky. The stirrings led to preliminary polling on Judd's potential candidacy -- by both Democratic and Republican-aligned firms -- which showed Judd within four points of McConnell.

But a deeper look at the survey by the Republican pollster showed support for Judd plummeting when respondents were provided with details about the actress, such as her outspoken views against certain forms of coal extraction and current residence in Tennessee, which she represented as a delegate at last year’s Democratic National Convention. HuffPost's Jason Linkins also reported last month that Judd's liberal politics could be a tough sell in the Bluegrass State, which last sent Rand Paul, son of libertarian-leaning former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), to the Senate.

While a matchup between Judd and McConnell could prove to be an interesting contest, both the actress and the senator have declined to speak more concretely about the ongoing buzz.

Before You Go

Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

Women In The U.S. Senate

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot