McConnell Democratic challenger gets Hollywood backing

FRANKFORT, Ky., Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A Hollywood producer has billed Alison Lundergan Grimes' bid to be the Democrat to unseat Mitch McConnell as the most important race of the 2014 election.

Jeffrey Katzenberg is raising money for Grimes while pop singer will.i.am will appear at Grimes' first Kentucky fundraiser in a few weeks -- fueling speculation that Grimes likely will receive a big boost from liberal donors in Hollywood, The Hill reported Thursday.

"Katzenberg and [director Steven] Spielberg and [producer Harvey] Weinstein, a lot of those people involved with DreamWorks and other Hollywood production companies, are gonna raise a lot of money for her," said Kentucky Democratic operative Danny Briscoe. "That's the expectation."

Democrats and their donors installed McConnell, the Senate minority leader, at the top of their 2014 hit list, largely because he's considered one of the biggest obstacles to President Obama's agenda.

Early polling indicates Grimes, a 34-year-old relative political newcomer, is competitive against Republican McConnell, who faces a primary challenge by a Tea Party movement-endorsed candidate.