Ben Affleck Declines To Run For John Kerry's Senate Seat

Ben Affleck, 40, announced Monday he is not interested in John Kerry’s Senate seat. Kerry was nominated for Secretary of State by President Obama, and if confirmed, Kerry would have to vacate the seat.

Affleck took to Facebook to deny interest in the position. "I love Massachusetts and our political process, but I am not running for office," he wrote. "Right now it’s a privilege to spend my time working with Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), 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. We are about to get a great Secretary of State and there are some phenomenal candidates in Massachusetts for his Senate seat. I look forward to an amazing campaign."

Affleck’s name began to surface as a possible contender for the seat when he testified before Congress last week about atrocities taking place in the Congo. Affleck runs the Eastern Congo Initiative, a cause close to Affleck. It was around the same time that Kerry had been nominated. In an interview on Face the Nation on Sunday, Affleck addressed the rumors that he was interested in the seat. “One never knows. I’m not one to get into conjecture,” Affleck said. “I do have a great fondness and admiration for the political process in this country. It’s a big deal for me to come down here and be on your show that I’ve watched so much, but I’m not going to get into speculation about my political future.”