NRSC attacks Judd on Tennessee residency in mock fundraising email

By Alexandra Jaffe - 03/08/13 09:47 AM ET

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is out with a new tongue-in-cheek attack on potential Kentucky Senate candidate Ashley Judd that emphasizes her Tennessee home and hammers her on various controversial comments she's made previously.

The attack, in the form of a mock fundraising email from Judd's campaign, asks supporters to help Judd raise funds to move from Tennessee to Kentucky.

"Despite the fact that she lives in Tennessee, Judd desperately wants to run for Senate in neighboring Kentucky," the email reads.

"We need you to help get Ashley on the ballot, and I'm sure I don't need to tell you that Judd has grown accustomed to living a certain lifestyle, and that lifestyle ain't cheap."

The email asks for supporters to pitch in "$10,000, $25,000 or $50,000" to "start to piece together a down payment for a house that provides Judd all the amenities that she has grown accustomed to."

And it offers a number of Kentucky mansions that the mock fundraising pitch describes as potential Kentucky homes for the actress.

Judd's residency — she was born in Kentucky but currently lives in Tennessee, and acted as a Tennessee delegate to the Democratic National Convention for President Obama in 2012 — has early on become a liability for the potential Senate contender.

She has, in recent appearances, sought to emphasize her Kentucky roots, but Republicans continue to hammer her on the issue.

The mock fundraising pitch goes on to touch on a number of her more controversial statements, including a critique she made of Christianity and her criticism of mountaintop removal mining, a stance that will complicate her support in Kentucky, where mountaintop removal is common.

"Your sacrifice will bring Barack Obama's liberal, big government agenda that much closer to reality," the email closes.

Judd has made steps, in recent weeks, toward launching a challenge to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). She has met with Washington and Kentucky Democrats, and, sources say, is beginning to put together a team for a 2014 run.

But she'll face a tough race from McConnell, who is known in the state for his political acumen, and already has more than $7 million in the bank for his reelection bid. And the early attacks from Republicans indicate this is likely to be a marquee race in 2014.