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Wednesday, Dec 19, 2012 10:12 PM UTC

Is Ben Affleck going to run for Senate?

The actor remains silent as rumors of a potential political career begin to spread

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Topics: Ben Affleck, Congo, Senate, Celebrity, Hollywood, Massachusetts, John Kerry, ,

Is Ben Affleck going to run for Senate?(Credit: AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Rumors are spreading around Capitol Hill and elsewhere that actor-director Ben Affleck might be considering a Senate run for Massachusetts. Politico notes that Affleck, who was in D.C. today to speak for more U.S. involvement in Eastern Congo, was also scheduled to meet with other lawmakers, including Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.),”who is widely believed to be replacing Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.”

Affleck, however, would not confirm or deny the rumor. “That’s not what I’m here to talk about,” he told Politico. “I’m here to talk about what role we can place in making the Eastern Congo a better place.”

But Boston reporter Jon Keller argues that if Kerry’s seat does, in fact, open up, Affleck could have a fair chance. Affleck has been active in the Democratic Party for more than a decade, and campaigned for Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who beat Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) in Nov. Any U.S. citizen over 30 years of age who can obtain 10,000 certified signatures can enter this race, Keller noted.

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com. More Prachi Gupta.

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