Ben Affleck may be playing down rumors that he’s planning to run for senate but that hasn’t stopped the gossip. The Argo director was recently in Washington to discuss the issues of violence plaguing Congo and when asked about his political ambitions, told the Politico blog “That’s not what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to talk about the role we can play in making the Eastern Congo a better place.” Playing down the rumors, then, but certainly not denying them.

Those rumors suggest that Affleck could be a potential candidate for senator in Massachusetts. John Kerry is widely believed to be replacing Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, according to Politico and if that happened, that Massachusetts seat would be up for grabs. Alec Gerlach, John Kerry’s spokesman reportedly declined the opportunity to discuss Ben Affleck’s political ambitions. He did, however, confirm that Affleck and Kerry planned to meet, along with other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which Kerry chairs.

During his testimony, Ben Affleck urged President Barack Obama to take action over the plight of Congo. “Resolving the cycle of violence does not necessarily require a significant new financial investment by the United States or U.S. boots on the ground. It does, however, require American political leadership — moral leadership even — to bring the parties together to address the larger sources of instability in the region… I may be naive, but I believe that our actions in foreign policy represent our values as a country — they represent who we are as a people.” It remains to be seen whether or not Ben Affleck will ditch his movie career in favor of a life in politics but those rumors certainly seem to be gaining substance.