Yarmuth won't run against McConnell

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Rep. John Yarmuth, the soon-to-be only Democrat in Kentucky's congressional delegation, said he won't battle Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell in 2014.

"I'm very happy with my district and very happy in the House. I think there will be stronger candidates statewide than I would be," Yarmuth told The Hill Friday. "There are people probably that don't have a record that would alienate a lot of people off the bat."

He said his opposition to mountaintop removal mining and his lifetime "F" from the National Rifle Association probably would make him a less-than-desirable challenger to McConnell.

Yarmuth, the state's only Democratic congressman to win re-election, is a frequent McConnell critic and said he would be "very interested" to ensure there's a "serious challenge to Mitch."

During the interview with The Hill, he floated actress and native daughter Ashley Judd and Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes as the two most likely candidates to run against the Senate minority leader.

Asked about outgoing Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky., a centrist Democrat who lost his re-election bid, Yarmuth said he'd "certainly be a tough candidate" but they hadn't discussed the possibility.