Ashley Judd's Senate bid: Over before it begins?
Democrats appear to be reconsidering whether the liberal movie star is the best candidate to run against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
Last week, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was reportedly ready to fully support actress Ashley Judd if she decided to run against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Now, the group is "re-evaluating" its enthusiasm, according to Kentucky's Louisville Eccentric Observer, after a poll the group commissioned found that another candidate would have a better shot at winning.
Indeed, now some Democrats worry that Judd, a political neophyte, could cost the party a winnable race against a high-profile GOP incumbent. The poll suggested that another Democrat, Kentucky Secretary of State Allison Lundergan Grimes, would be a stronger challenger against McConnell. Some Bluegrass state Democrats worry that Judd's liberal politics and connections to President Obama might prove toxic in a state where 60 percent of voters backed Mitt Romney in 2012.
"The honeymoon is over for Ashley Judd," says Michael Catalini at National Journal. She has attracted national attention as she prepares to announce whether she'll run, and her supporters insist she's the only Democrat with the star power to raise the money it will take to beat Kentucky's senior senator. Some insiders in the national party think Judd would be able to fill a war chest that would force Republicans to divert resources from other states to save McConnell. But powerful Kentucky Democrats worry that Bluegrass State voters would be see Judd as a Hollywood-style liberal out of sync with their politics. "She's gonna have a tough row to hoe," said Jim Cauley, who ran Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear's 2007 campaign and also worked on President Obama's 2004 Senate campaign. "She doesn't fit the damn state."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a way, it makes sense for national Democrats to want to pit Judd against McConnell, says Allahpundit at Hot Air. Democrats are unlikely to unseat a five-term incumbent in an off-presidential year even with a strong nominee, "so why not roll the dice on a celebrity?" Kentucky Democrats, however, are unlikely to buy that logic, because they have much more at stake. Judd is "enough of a loose cannon that she might end up hurting other Democratic candidates across the state." Kentucky is "reliably red" in presidential and Senate elections, but Democrats do well in gubernatorial contests and other statewide elections. "If Judd acts a bit too... Judd-like on the trail," voters might flock to Republicans and leave Democrats locked out of power for the next several years.
Well, Judd doesn't have her party's blessing yet, says Sean Sullivan at The Washington Post, but she's still a contender. McConnell's low approval ratings offer Democrats a "serious pickup opportunity," and the DSCC — the campaign arm of Senate Democrats — has identified the race as a top priority in 2014. The group's executive director, Guy Cecil, says Democrats have a "handful of quality candidates" ready to challenge McConnell, but the only ones he's mentioning by name are Judd and Grimes. Meanwhile, Kentucky Democrats say Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked them to quiet complaints about Judd. "Not a good sign when Reid is playing spin control for Judd and she hasn't even been nominated yet," says Joe Gandelman at The Moderate Voice. But at least one thing is certain — "star power" alone won't be enough to unseat McConnell, "one of the most canny politicians in the United States."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
The art world and motherhood: the end of a final taboo?
Talking Point Hettie Judah's new touring exhibition offers a 'riveting riposte' to old cliches
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Musk's reliance on China draws rising scrutiny'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Biba: the story of a 'legendary emporium'
The Week Recommends Brand's 60th anniversary is being marked with retrospective celebrating the 'iconic shop's cultural importance'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Xi-Biden meeting: what's in it for both leaders?
Today's Big Question Two superpowers seek to stabilise relations amid global turmoil but core issues of security, trade and Taiwan remain
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published