All the Latest News on Ashley Judd, Mitch McConnell & Rand Paul

—SEE first ad [YouTube]

—McConnell’s wife leads start to 2014 campaign, blasts offensive tweets – WHAS-TV’s Joe Arnold – Mitch McConnell’s first television ad of his 2014 Senate re-election campaign cites racially charged Twitter messages against his wife as an example of political attacks against him.

McConnell’s wife, former U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, appears in the 30 second commercial two weeks after Progress Kentucky, a Democratic Super PAC, apologized for the offensive tweets which said Chao’s Taiwanese heritage and link to McConnell “May explain why your job moved to #China!” [WHAS]

ASHLEY JUDD ‘a great candidate’, says Trump – “Donald Trump thinks actress Ashley Judd would make a “great” Senate candidate, the real estate mogul tweeted on Tuesday. … “All reports indicate Ashley Judd will be running for Sen. McConnell’s seat,” Trump wrote. “She’s going to be a great candidate. …Re: Ashley Judd: Keep @KarlRove away. He already made her a viable candidate.”” [POLITICO]

—Ashley Judd Is a 30-Second Ad Waiting to Happen [National Journal]

—Matt Wyatt: Some Advice for Ashley Judd From a Kentucky Political Consultant [HuffPost]

—Can Ashley Judd win? HuffPost Live discussion, featuring Jonathan Miller [Video]

RAND PAUL to Millenials: “I believe in a Republican Party that is more tolerant,“ writing in op-ed today published by PolicyMic: “Last week, a Senate colleague of mine said that when I questioned whether or not the President could order a drone strike on American citizens on American soil, that I was just catering to “libertarian kids in their dorm rooms.” Standing up for the Bill of Rights and the Fifth Amendment was not a political stunt designed to appeal to certain audiences. I took an oath to protect the Constitution and it is an oath I intend to keep.

‘I believe a Republican Party that is more tolerant and dedicated to keeping the government out of people’s lives as much as possible would be more appealing to the rising generation … Most young people I encounter simply have no desire to tell other people what to do or how to live.

‘Young Americans — conservative, libertarian, independent — are as fed up with big government as their parents and grandparents. A Republican Party willing to address their unique concerns could build a new majority that might finally turn this country around.” [PolicyMic]

—A reality check for Ashley Judd [Salon]

—Democrats Keep Options Open as Ashley Judd Considers Senate Bid [ABC News]

—DSCC not ready to embrace Ashley Judd [POLITICO]

AL MAYO: Judd is in – Time for Democrats to get it together, writing for KY Political Brief: “All signs are now pointing to a certain Ashley Judd candidacy for the U.S. Senate, and if that is truly the case, Kentucky Democrats must figure out a way to avoid an extended primary battle. How they go about it, is the key to whether Judd–or any Democrat–actually has a chance to unseat Republican Mitch McConnell in 2014.” [KPB column]

McCONNELL Stands With (and Raises Money Off) Rand Paul – NYTimes – “After opposing his bid for Kentucky’s Republican Senate nomination in 2010, Senator Mitch McConnell is ready to Stand with Rand, Paul that is. Oh, and he’d like you to join Team Mitch while you’re at it. In a fund-raising e-mail from Team Mitch, Mr. McConnell’s 2014 re-election campaign, the Republican leader showered praise on Mr. Paul, the junior senator from Kentucky, for his 13-hour filibuster last week of President Obama’s nominee to head the Central Intelligence Agency, John O. Brennan. Mr. McConnell, of course, had to slip in his own role in helping Mr. Paul through the ordeal, a brief appearance in the guise of an extended question that gave his fellow Kentuckian a break.” [NYTimes]

‘RAND PAUL 2016’ WATCH — Cathy Bailey hosts “meet and greet” for Rand Paul in Florida that brings in $25k – CN|2’s Nick Storm – “Cathy Bailey, the former U.S. ambassador to Latvia under President George W. Bush, held a “meet and greet” for Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul at her Palm Beach, Fla., home over the weekend. Those attending made some “spontaneous donations” to Paul’s political fund, according to an advisor within the Paul camp. Many of the donations were inspired by Paul’s 13-hour filibuster last week on the nomination of John Brennan to be head of the CIA until Paul got more information on the administration’s drone policy. The adviser, who declined to be named, said the gathering brought out three or four times the number of people staff was expecting. Paul collected about $25,000, although the advisor couldn’t say whether the donations went toward Paul’s 2016 campaign or RANDPAC, which is Paul’s leadership PAC that he used to spread to political allies as well as to the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission.” [CN|2 Politics]