Hollywood star Ben Affleck doesn’t deny he could run for US Senate

A potential Massachusetts vacancy opens speculation

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Ben Affleck looks the part in his role as a corrupt Senator in the movie "State of Play".

Photo by Universal Studios

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Senator Ben Affleck? It's not entirely out of the question, and the actor and director isn't dampening speculation.

According to the New York Post, Affleck visited Capitol Hill on Tuesday where he was asked if he's considering running for a US Senate seat from his home state of Massachusetts.

'That’s not what I’m here to talk about,' Affleck told Politico after he testified to the House Armed Services Committee about ongoing violence in Congo, the African nation he’s visited regularly in recent years.

Later Affleck met privately with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and posed for photos with them and their chairman, Senator John Kerry.

Since Kerry’s seat will become vacant if President Obama names him to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state when she resigns next month, the optics got tongues wagging.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick would reportedly name a temporary replacement for Kerry until a special election is held for the Senate seat, probably in the late spring.

Affleck is among several potential candidates, including Ted Kennedy Jr. and former Senator Scott Brown, who are said to be considering running for the seat Kerry has held since 1985.

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