# Senator Judd **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 10, 2013, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539 "2013-03-10T06:45:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/1 "2013-03-10T06:45:29Z")
[Ashley Judd running for US Senate?](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/09/ashley-judd-senate-run_n_2843852.html) Looks like she’ll announce in May, during The Kentucky Derby. She is well connected in Lexington, and she won’t have to pretend to be a supporter of the most popular sports team in the state. It would most certainly be the most publicized senate race in Bluegrass history, with the movie star going up against the minority leader. > [@](#): > > Judd made her intentions clear at a private dinner last month at Brown’s Louisville home. Asked if she was tough enough to take on McConnell and the GOP national attack machine, Judd reportedly answered, “I have been raped twice, so I think I can handle Mitch McConnell.” ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/2 "2013-03-10T07:57:09Z")
Eh, she won’t win, but then, neither would anyone else. McConnell easily survived 2008 when the Dems were cleaning up even in many red-state Senate races. I don’t see much reason to think he’ll have a harder time in 2014. I read somewhere that KY Dems were urging her to run because they think that while she’ll go down in flames, she’ll raise a bunch of money for voter turn-out efforts that will help Dems in State-level races, where KY Dems are still pretty competitive. ---
**Author:** ![Enemy\_Country](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/96bed5/32.png) [@Enemy\_Country](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enemy_Country)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/3 "2013-03-10T12:31:58Z")
It would be great to not have to see him anymore. He is full of hate. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/4 "2013-03-10T17:35:33Z")
> [@Enemy\_Country](#): > > It would be great to not have to see him anymore. He is full of hate. I dunno. I literally will never get tired of the gag the Daily Show does where they put his picture up next to that of a similar looking tortoise. I don’t think Judd really looks like any animals. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/5 "2013-03-11T00:05:17Z")
What makes this really interesting is Ashley’s outspoken stance against mountaintop removal coal mining. She has been a target of the ridiculously effective coal industry propaganda machine for years now, and as a result I cannot overemphasize how much she is hated in my part of the state. It’s bad enough that she has spoken out against MTR–around here any bad word about the coal industry is like saying you think coal miners’ children should starve to death–but the Hollywood-liberal-telling-us-country-folk-how-to-live angle has pushed the hatred over the top. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/6 "2013-03-11T14:11:32Z")
Perhaps the Democratic Party should sent her a T-shirt, [like the University of Kentucky Hockey Team once did](http://www.posters57.com/images/Ashley-Judd-UK-Hockey%281%29.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/7 "2013-03-11T17:50:22Z")
She’d be the first Senator whose tits are easily locatable with a google image search. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/8 "2013-03-11T17:55:00Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > She’d be the first Senator whose tits are easily locatable with a google image search. Thanks for that, I had no idea. Anyway, I can’t believe that Mitch isn’t vulnerable at least a little, given how reprehensible he is to so many, and the power of celebrity. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/9 "2013-03-11T19:10:41Z")
As much as I’d love to see The Tortoise lose this one, it isn’t going to happen. He may be reprehensible, he may be a bigot, but he isn’t vulnerable. At least not from his left. If he loses this one, it will be in the primary and it will be someone who from the rightest fringe of the right wing. If this state would elect Jim Bunning and Rand Paul, it sure as hell isn’t going to elect a liberal actress. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/10 "2013-03-11T20:19:02Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > As much as I’d love to see The Tortoise lose this one, it isn’t going to happen. He may be reprehensible, he may be a bigot, but he isn’t vulnerable He’s apparently the Senator with the lowest approval rating amongst his constituents. I imagine that’s the number Judd is looking at that makes running appear not totally Quixotic. But I suspect much of that is made up of Republican-voters dissatisfied with his leadership in the Senate, but who will still vote for him over whomever the Dems put up. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > She’d be the first Senator whose tits are easily locatable with a google image search. Well, there’s Scott Brown. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/11 "2013-03-11T21:10:21Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > She’d be the first Senator whose tits are easily locatable with a google image search. So what’s Al Franken, chopped liver? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/12 "2013-03-11T23:14:56Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > He’s apparently the Senator with the lowest approval rating amongst his constituents. I imagine that’s the number Judd is looking at that makes running appear not totally Quixotic. > > But I suspect much of that is made up of Republican-voters dissatisfied with his leadership in the Senate, but who will still vote for him over whomever the Dems put up. > > Well, there’s Scott Brown. > [@Ethilrist](#): > > So what’s Al Franken, chopped liver? Men don’t have tits. At best/worst, they have man-boobs. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/13 "2013-03-12T04:39:15Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > As much as I’d love to see The Tortoise lose this one, it isn’t going to happen. He may be reprehensible, he may be a bigot, but he isn’t vulnerable. At least not from his left. If he loses this one, it will be in the primary and it will be someone who from the rightest fringe of the right wing. If this state would elect Jim Bunning and Rand Paul, it sure as hell isn’t going to elect a liberal actress. That’s the only way she might squeak in – if McConnell is primaried and beaten by a Tea Partyist so extreme that Republicans stay home. And if we’re lucky, they’ll have lots to say about rape. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/14 "2013-03-12T17:35:51Z")
I know Judd will lose, but it’ll be fun to watch the campaign. I think she’d be the only Senator with a _Star Trek_ credit on her resume. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/15 "2013-03-12T18:27:53Z")
How about [McCain](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpXKDAPX2Jc)? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/16 "2013-03-13T22:36:21Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](#): > > . . . and she won’t have to pretend to be a supporter of the most popular sports team in the state. Which one would that be? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/17 "2013-03-14T03:25:03Z")
[University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball](http://ashleyjudd.com/writings/essay-on-uk-basketball/). ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/18 "2013-03-14T19:49:43Z")
IF she does it (which ain’t certain yet) she’ll be an interesting candidate. She starts with a number of disadvantages and will have to sell herself well. But she knows how to do that. McConnell’s re-electability numbers aren’t all that great, though. So there might be a chance to steal an election. Disadvantages: 1. McConnell’s incumbency 2. Her position as a ‘Hollywood’ type 3. Her XX chromosome (sorry, but that’s still out there) Advantages: 1. Knows how to pitch to an audience 2. Absolutely a KY girl and has bragged on it all over before politics 3. Smart as all hell, apparently. MA in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. I’ve heard her speak about such things and she presents REALLY well. That’s her way to offset #2, above 4. She’ll have NO trouble raising money for her campaign. 5. The Judds! If she can get her family to play music supporting her all around the state that’ll be a huge win in motivating people. It connects her with the country-music loving crowd All in all, I’d say she’s at a 10% disadvantage at the start. She’d have to work her ass off to get people to realize that she’s more than an actress, she’s a 45-year-old professional with a history of political activism and a good education. It’ll still be an uphill fight, but not an impossible one if McConnell’s numbers are as weak as I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/19 "2013-03-14T20:10:25Z")
Do you have a cite for MConnell’s weak numbers? I’d always heard he was pretty popular in his state, but I’d rather have you be right. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539/20 "2013-03-14T20:22:28Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Do you have a cite for MConnell’s weak numbers? I’d always heard he was pretty popular in his state, but I’d rather have you be right. Sure. [McConnell least popular Senator in the country](http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/272257-poll-mcconnell-ranks-as-nations-least-popular-senator) His numbers are -18 on his approvals overall. With independents he’s sitting at much worst with only 33% approving of him right now. Hell, of republicans in KY he’s only got a 60% approval. According the the report from The Hill, taken from PPP polls, he’s ahead of any competition but only by 4% on Judd right now with neither cracking the 50% mark. Against an established politico he’s also only up by 4%. Still, it’s a long way until November 2014. If she wants to win she needs to start working it now. McConnell’s already made his first ad buy, hoping to fend off a primary challenge. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-judd/652539.md?page=2)