Actress Ashley Judd’s chances of winning a Kentucky Senate seat may be about as good as Mitch McConnell’s chances of winning an Oscar, but discussing the possibility of a race between the two is too fun for anyone to pass up. On Friday, Judd appeared at George Washington University to discuss reproductive rights, though the reporters in attendance were much more interested in finding out whether she is serious about launching a campaign. Unfortunately, the closest anyone got to an answer was this exchange, as reported by Politico:
Judd’s 14th fawning questioner said, “I know you may be running for office … but I’m not asking you about that.” She asked instead about inequality.
Judd joked, “Is there an elephant in the room?” Then she moved on.
However, she didn’t exactly avoid campaign-friendly topics. In addition to “name-checking” Madeleine Albright and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (who she met with in December), she emphasized her connection to her native state by complimenting the University of Kentucky’s student newspaper and announcing her intention to put Kentucky daffodils in a vase presented to her by GWU’s dean. The Kentucky talk is important, since Republicans there are already questioning her loyalty to the state by simultaneously pointing out that she currently lives in Tennessee and painting her as an out-of-touch Hollywood liberal. Her casual mention of how she “winters in Scotland” with Bono probably didn’t help her case when it comes to that second item.
