BOSTON (AP) -- Could Simon Cowell stand between Kerry Healey and her running mate?
Healey, the Massachusetts lieutenant governor, had been expected to announce a political partner for her fall gubernatorial campaign sometime in February, but one of those in contention -- Sen. Scott Brown -- has been otherwise occupied.
His 17-year-old daughter, Ayla Brown, has made it to the final group of 20 contestants on Fox TV's "American Idol." That has split his attention between Hollywood, where his daughter was in a sing-off Tuesday night against the other nine women, and Beacon Hill, where the Wrentham Republican serves under the golden dome of the Statehouse.
Healey aides insist Ayla Brown's good fortune is not impeding her father's political future, although they remain mum about his prospects for serving as running mate. At the same time, they tamp down speculation that Healey is waiting for Cowell, his fellow judges and the voting public to bounce Ayla Brown from the contest, which would allow Scott Brown to devote his full attention to a campaign. That could come after a round of voting Thursday night.
Brown insists he's not getting ahead of himself on either count.
"I'm here. I'm ready to work," he said just hours before the Senate debated a bill to broaden health insurance coverage. "I've taken out my papers for (re-election to) the Senate. I'm ready to march."
Ayla Brown is already a winner at another avocation: basketball. The 6-foot tall brunette, a senior at the exclusive Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, has a full basketball scholarship to Boston College next fall.
Nonetheless, she has sung since childhood, when she mimicked tunes from an array of Disney movies. She has also taken singing lessons at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts.
Like Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino and Carrie Underwood, the first four Idol winners, Brown took her shot at stardom by joining thousands for an opening casting call, trying out last summer at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots.
From there, it was a trip to Boston for a performance before the notoriously dour Cowell and fellow judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, whom Brown professes to like the best because he shares her passions for sports and music.
Then, late last year, she was off to Hollywood, accompanied by her father.
"I thought it was a nice thing to try, it sounded like fun, a chance to meet some nice people, but here we are," he said with a laugh.
Scott Brown's wife, Boston television news reporter Gail Huff, is staying with their daughter this week. Should Ayla Brown survive Thursday's round of voting, her aunt will travel to California to stay with her for the remainder of the competition, which concludes on May 25, or until she gets voted off.
Scott Brown, meanwhile, continues to be the focus of intense speculation as Healey concludes her search for a running mate.
In Massachusetts, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately through the September primary before being paired on a party ticket for the November general election. But Republicans have put together a string of victories in heavily Democratic Massachusetts by running as teams since 1991.
In 2002, Healey, a former criminal justice consultant, joined forces with businessman Mitt Romney on a ticket in which he ran as governor and she as lieutenant. Romney is not seeking re-election amid speculation he will run for president in 2008.
Brown, 46, is a graduate of Tufts University and Boston College Law School. He served in the state House before being elected to the Senate in 2004. He also has a military record as a 26-year veteran of the Massachusetts National Guard, where he currently is a major in the Judge Advocate General's Corps.
Healey, 45, played coy when asked about Scott Brown's prospects as she toted her breakfast through a Statehouse corridor Tuesday. Instead, she focused on Ayla Brown.
"I'm pulling for her," said the lieutenant governor. "I know her parents are 100 percent behind her. She's a fantastically talented young lady and I just wish her the best."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
