Ashley Judd Will Not Run for Senate; Kentucky Democrats Say It Would Have Been 'A Catastrophe'
After months of half-assed speculation and heartless anticipation, Ashley Judd, America's Charlize Theron, has decided she is not going to run for a Senate seat to represent her home state of Kentucky.
She tweeted the news today:
After serious and thorough contemplation, I realize that my responsibilities & energy at this time need to be focused on my family.
— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) March 27, 2013
Had she run, Judd, a Democrat, would have been pitting herself against longtime incumbent Mitch McConnell, a turtle-headed Republican who even other Republicans hate. Judd probably would have been able to keep up with McConnell in fundraising, but the Washington Post notes that "McConnell's path to victory involves savaging his opponent," a relatively easy task when that opponent is an inexperienced Hollywood actor.
Surely relieved are certain leading Kentucky Democrats, some of whom worried a widely talked about Judd campaign would cause moderate voters to pivot hard away from other Democrats downballot. In a February interview with Roll Call, a Kentucky Democratic strategist said a Judd run would be "a catastrophe."
Perhaps predicting her stunted political career, the new movie Olympus Has Fallen finds Judd starring as the First Lady. It is said to be a very bad film in which Judd dies right away.
[Image via AP]