Politics: A World Without Ashley Judd

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Politics A World Without Ashley Judd Republicans were hoping the actress's Senate run would give them the gaffes they need to beat Democrats. That's not how it works. By David Weigel Posted Thursday, Mar 28, 2013, at 10:50 PM ET It was only fair that the news broke on Twitter. At 2:07 p.m., Kentucky time, actress and activist Ashley Judd tweeted that she'd "decided" on her next move. Over seven more tweets, she explained that she was "currently unable to consider a campaign for the Senate," ending months of speculation and false starts. Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, saw the news via a retweet. He'd written 61 short messages about Judd, around 10 times as many as he'd written about a competitive Senate race in Michigan. When Scotland decided on a date for an independence referendum, Dayspring reminded readers of how Judd "wintered" there. When Judd spoke at the George Washington University, Dayspring shared the collective snark of unimpressed reporters and warned that "Dems in Kentucky worry about her bizarre & controversial views." But the dream was over. Dayspring moved on. "We're plumbers, not philosophers," he says. "Our job is to point out the weaknesses of candidates. There was intense media focus on the possibility that Judd might run." And why was that? It wasn't just that Judd was sort of famous, or could potentially raise $20 million, or that readers of popular websites like to click on photos of attractive women. (In the modern media economy, no one can dismiss that factor.) Kentucky wasn't on any Democrat's Senate map for 2014, and no handicapper thought Sen. Mitch McConnell could lose to Judd. In 2012, Barack Obama ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate A World Without Ashley Judd The Place Beyond the Pines The Greatest Novelist You Haven't Read	Advertisement
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