The Latest Signs Ashley Judd Is Preparing Run Against Mitch McConnell

[pampango]

31. Good news. There is a tea party candidate who might upset McConnell or at least pull him further

to the right during the primary campaign.

Matthew Bevin, Kentucky Businessman, Examining Tea Party Challenge To Mitch McConnell

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) may have recently directed his first campaign attack at the left, but it looks like he could soon be facing pressure from the right.

As McConnell was rolling out a web video on Tuesday lampooning his potential Democratic challengers, Louisville businessman Matthew Bevin and his camp were reportedly taking preliminary steps to explore a primary challenge against the longtime Kentucky senator.

In a statement, Bevin spokeswoman Amy Lowe confirmed that Bevin had been in talks with Kentucky tea party activists about the possibility of taking on McConnell. Lowe told The Hill that Bevin hasn't made a final decision, but has determined that there is a desire for a more conservative alternative to McConnell, who has served in the Senate since 1985.

Stirrings of a potential tea party challenge come as McConnell's campaign has taken steps to shore up his right flank. In recent fundraising literature, McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton, a former aide to ex-Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), has taken a tone that appears to serve as an olive branch to the most conservative constituents in Kentucky. An email sent out to supporters last month, for example, warned that Kentuckians were "literally surrounded" by Senators who were dead-set on "coming for your guns."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/matthew-bevin-kentucky-mitch-mcconnell_n_2724773.html