Politicos Consider Ben Affleck for Office

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/27/2005 at 08:00 AM EDT

Ben Affleck for Senator?

Actually, that would be "Benator," says The Washington Post, reporting on an idea hatched by Virginia Democrats to run the Hollywood star – and husband of pregnant Alias star Jennifer Garner – against Republican Sen. George Allen in next year's election.

Affleck and Garner are said to have shopped for a house around Charlottesville, Va., but still appear far from hiring a moving van.

As for playing politics, once Affleck's name was tossed into the ring by state Democrat movers and shakers, "It spread pretty widely, at least in the political underground," University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato tells The Post.

Affleck's New York-based rep, Ken Sunshine, tells the paper there's no reason to think Affleck would run, despite the fact "he would make a superb public candidate for public office in the future."

At the moment, says Sunshine, Affleck, 33, is otherwise engaged, directing his first movie, Disney's Gone, Baby, Gone.

During the 2004 Democratic National Convention in his hometown of Boston, a highly visible Affleck campaigned actively for presidential nominee John Kerry.

He was also interviewed by a young reporter from Time for Kids magazine, who asked what the actor thought of Hollywood stars getting into politics. Citing the example of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Affleck said: "He used to be, actually a very successful actor. ... One of the things that's encouraging about that is it represents citizen politicians, people that aren't career politicians."