海角大神

OK, Ashley Judd is starting to act like an actual possible candidate for the Senate in Kentucky, as opposed to a coy celebrity who鈥檚 flattered that reporters are asking her about politics instead of her film career.

Either that, or she鈥檚 conducing hands-on research for a part in next season鈥檚 鈥淗ouse of Cards.鈥�

We say that because in recent days the actress/activist met privately with officials from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, according to . That鈥檚 a Station of the Cross for Senate candidate wannabes.

The DSCC is a contribution clearing house for Democratic candidates. It also recruits candidates and advises them on strategy, all in the name of keeping, or capturing, chamber control.

The GOP has a similar organization, the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. There are also Democratic and Republican campaign committees for the House.

For what it鈥檚 worth, the DSCC鈥檚 chairman this cycle is Sen. Michael Bennet from Colorado, who knows a thing or do about winning a tough election in a state that鈥檚 not deep blue. Maybe he feels a kinship with Ms. Judd, who鈥檇 be taking on a tough opponent in incumbent minority leader Mitch McConnell.

Judd has yet to set up any political committees of her own for fundraising or just plain exploratory action. But she鈥檚 also met recently with top state Dems in Louisville, Ky., presumably to test the waters and engage in a little prefundraising survey of potential wallets, according to another report in the Atlantic.

As we wrote the other day, Senator McConnell is acting as if he鈥檚 wary of running against Judd. He鈥檚 included her in a preemptive ad he鈥檚 issued mocking potential opponents. A GOP polling firm found him 9 points up on Judd in a survey it released last week, which is OK, except that we鈥檇 think an incumbent senator might do better matched up against a co-star of 鈥�Dolphin Tale.鈥�

Look over at New Jersey to see what we mean. Geraldo Rivera鈥檚 been talking about running for the Senate there as a Republican, and a finds the mustachioed action journalist trailing Democrat Cory Booker by a whopping 54 to 23 percent. That鈥檚 the kind of margin McConnell鈥檚 probably been hoping for.

Of course, it鈥檚 also possible that the DSCC met with Judd, not to talk about giving her money, but to talk about her giving money to them. Wealthy contributors are always useful, even if a quick perusal of contribution data finds that Judd gave but $350 to one Democratic candidate in the 2012 cycle. (The form listed her address as Los Angeles, by the way.)

And that candidate was Rep. Steven Cohen, who represents the Ninth Congressional District in ... Tennessee! She鈥檚 already vulnerable on the Volunteer State front: she was a Democratic National Convention delegate last year from Tennessee, and that鈥檚 where she鈥檚 actually been living. McConnell鈥檚 attack ad replays a clip of her saying 鈥淭ennessee is home鈥� a number of times. We think the Tennessee issue is maybe her biggest vulnerability. That, and her own grandmother calling her a 鈥淗ollywood liberal.鈥�

So that鈥檚 how we鈥檒l know Judd is really serious. She鈥檒l make a big deal about actually living in Kentucky, either by buying a property or moving back in to an old family home. After all, what happened to that carpetbagger female Senate candidate who was born in Illinois, lived her adult life in Arkansas, and then ran in New York?

Three words: Senator Hillary Clinton.