Might Ben Affleck try leap from Hollywood to US Senate? So far, he's cagey.

The actor and director says he's 'happy being involved from outside in government.' But Ben Affleck didn't exactly put the kibosh on talk about a possible run for John Kerry's Senate seat.

By Amanda Paulson,?Staff writer / December 24, 2012

Actor Ben Affleck appeared on Face the Nation last week; some are wondering if he is contemplating a run for the Senate seat that will become open if John Kerry is confirmed as Secretary of State.

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Could Ben Affleck head to Washington?

Skip to next paragraph Amanda Paulson

Staff writer

Amanda Paulson is a staff writer based in Boulder, Colo.

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It seems like a long shot, but the actor and director's name has come up recently amid speculation over who will run for John Kerry's US Senate seat if the Massachusetts senator slides over to the State Department to serve as President Obama's foreign affairs chief.?

Mr. Affleck didn't start up the rumor mill, but when given an opportunity to say he isn't interested, he demurred ? a move guaranteed to keep the rumors flying in Washington and, of course, Massachusetts. In an interview aired Dec. 23?on CBS's "Face the Nation," Affleck said "I'm not one to get into conjecture," when host Bob Schieffer asked him directly about any US Senate aspirations.

"I do have great fondness and admiration for the political process in this country," Affleck told Mr. Schieffer, "but I'm not going to get into speculation about my political future."

"Right now," he added, "I'm really happy being involved from the outside in government, advocating for the Congolese [and] taking this movie that I made, 'Argo' ? it's really become a springboard for a dialogue about our relationship with Iran."

Affleck, founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, was in Washington to raise awareness about violence in Congo. He testified before Congress on Wednesday about the conflict and said he will make his 10th trip there next year. He also met with Senator Kerry, along with other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

CBS Boston's Jon Keller was among the first to mention the star's name in connection with the Senate seat, saying he'd heard Affleck's name "tossed around" among the possibilities to replace Kerry.

Interest in the seat is high. GOP Sen. Scott Brown in November narrowly lost his reelection bid to Democrat Elizabeth Warren, and he is widely presumed to be interested in running for Kerry's vacated seat, should Kerry win Senate confirmation to be secretary of State. Affleck is just one of many Democrats whose names have come up to run against him. Others include US Reps. Edward Markey, Steven Lynch, and Michael Capuano; former Congressman Marty Meehan; state senator Ben Downing; and Victoria Kennedy, widow of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. Ted Kennedy Jr., eldest son of the late senator, has decided against running for the seat, according to a Boston Globe report Monday.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/TY1wwb8D7rQ/Might-Ben-Affleck-try-leap-from-Hollywood-to-US-Senate-So-far-he-s-cagey

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