Any Massachusetts residents dreaming of having an Oscar winner who publicly rubbed up J. Lo as their Washington envoy are due for disappointment. Ben Affleck declared that he would not compete for John Kerry's Senate seat if Mr. Kerry is confirmed as secretary of state. “I love Massachusetts and our political process, but I am not running for office,†Mr. Affleck wrote on his Facebook page.
Speculation about a run emerged after Mr. Affleck, a Democratic-leaning star who has been widely discussing Middle Eastern and national politics as he promotes his film “Argo,†did not rule it out during an appearance on “Face the Nation†with Bob Schieffer. “One never knows,†he said, sounding dis tinctly politician-like.
But on Christmas Eve, Mr. Affleck took to Facebook to deny his non-denial. He said he would continue to be active with the Eastern Congo Initiative, a charity he founded to promote peaceful development. (He testified before Congress about it last week, his 10th appearance there on the issue.)
He also wrote about “supporting our veterans, drawing attention to the great many who go hungry in the U.S. everyday and using filmmaking to entertain and foster discussion about issues like our relationship to Iran.â€
“We are about to get a great secretary of state,†Mr. Affleck concluded, in reference to Mr. Kerry's nomination, “and there are some phenomenal candidates in Massachusetts for his Senate se at. I look forward to an amazing campaign.â€
