Ashley Judd For Senate? Actress Trails Mitch McConnell By a Mere 4 Points In Hypothetical Race

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R - Ky.) is up for reelection during the 2014 midterms, and the Democratic Party may very well make ousting him a top priority. No doubt Democrats received some welcome news from a PPP poll indicating that in a hypothetical general election match-up between McConnell and actress Ashley Judd, the senator leads by a mere four points. 

PPP polling also shows that McConnell is the most unpopular senator in the country, as he has a 55% disapproval rating among Kentucky voters, compared to just 37%, for a net approval rating of -18%. In 2008, McConnell won reelection by defeating Democrat Bruce Lunsford by six points in a state that John McCain carried that year by 16 points, and that Mitt Romney carried by 23 points last month.

Judd is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where she earned a Master's degree in 2010. She has been active in a number of causes, including AIDS prevention, women's equality, and anti-poverty initiatives. The actress is well-liked in the state, where she frequently attends University of Kentucky basketball games. Her husband is three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti.

According to the poll, Judd has a favorability rating of 42%, while 36% view her unfavorably. Twnety-two percent of voters were not sure. 

McConnell was first elected to the senate since 1985 and is currently serving with fellow Republican Rand Paul — a Tea Party favorite who is viewed as a purer type of conservative. It remains to be seen whether McConnell will face any Paul-esque challengers in the 2014 Republican senate primary.

Regardless, if Judd runs, the Democratic nomination for senate is likely hers given her name recognition and relative popularity in the state.