Ashley Judd’s long-rumored challenge to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) next year won’t be happening. Long considered a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, the actress announced her decision to skip the race in a message on Twitter yesterday.
“After serious and thorough contemplation, I realize that my responsibilities and energy at this time need to be focused on my family,” said Judd. “Regretfully, I am currently unable to consider a campaign for the Senate.”
Judd, who grew up in Kentucky but now lives in Tennessee, trailed McConnell — a 29-year veteran of the U.S. Senate — by only four percentage points in a survey conducted by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling in December.
Judd’s departure from the race leaves Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes potentially as the leading Democratic contender. The 38-year-old Lundergan Grimes, an attorney who was elected in 2011 — defeating her Republican opponent by more than 173,000 votes — was recently encouraged by former President Bill Clinton to consider entering the fray.
McConnell, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984 when he narrowly defeated two-term Democratic Sen. Walter “Dee” Huddleston, has been busy in recent weeks cozying up to the Tea Party in an effort to fend off a possible primary challenger. His campaign is being directed by Jesse Benton, the grassroots political operative who managed Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign.
Taking nothing for granted, the 71-year-old Senate Minority Leader has also amassed a hefty war chest, reportedly raising more than $10 million for his re-election bid — a daunting figure for any Democrat hoping to win in the Blue Grass State.
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