Ben Affleck in Congress: Actor to Become A Politician?
Ben Affleck paid an important visit to Washington, D.C. this week, sparking rumors that the A-list actor may run for Congress in the future.
The "Argo" director has a longstanding reputation for being actively involved in politics and charitable causes, and in 2010, founded the Eastern Congo Initiative.
Just ahead of his 10th visit to the Congo, Affleck visited Capitol Hill to push the U.S. Congress to exert its influence and change the U.N. mandate in conflict-ridden Africa.
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Furthermore, the actor and director gave a taped interview for this Sunday's "Face the Nation" on CBS where he touched on his "political future."
When CBS' Bob Schieffer asked Affleck about the possibility of running for a Senate seat in Massachusetts, the actor did not say "no."
"I'm not going to get into speculation about my political future," said the 40-year-old. "I do have a great fondness and admiration for the political process in this country."
Raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Affleck would be a main contender for the position.
Fueling rumors about his political future even more, Affleck backed out of the film "Focus" on Thursday because of scheduling conflicts, according to Entertainment Weekly.
The movie, which will star Kristen Stewart, was scheduled to begin production in April, reported The Los Angeles Times.
Ahead of his visit to the House of Armed Services Committee in the U.S. Capital, Affleck updated his Twitter followers.
"Headed to the Hill on behalf of @EastCongoNews to talk about the evolving #DRC security situation. 10am EST live," wrote the actor.
"Thank you @HASCRepublicans for the opportunity to speak this morning about the crisis in #DRC. We can & should help immediately," Affleck later added.
"As I said, I reject the notion of a pervasive hopelessness," Affleck continued on the micro blogging site. "Not true. I've seen advancement in #DRC. We need incremental steps to progress."
Affleck would not be the first Hollywood celebrity to turn toward politics. California's governor from 2003-2011 Arnold Schwarzenegger had first been a body builder and an actor before his political career began.
Meanwhile, Affleck is married to actress Jennifer Garner, with whom he shares three children.
