Report: Matt Bevin to Announce Plans to Challenge Mitch McConnell For Senate Seat

Reports earlier year that East Hampton business owner Matt Bevin may challenge the top Republican in the U.S. Senate are becoming more of a reality.

Bevin, the owner of Bevin Brothers Bell Factory in East Hampton, is expected to make an announcement Wednesday whether or not he intends to challenge U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a primary, The Louisville Courier-Journal reported.

The newspaper indicated that it's all but certain Bevin is going to run, noting that the rumors have been building in that state that he would challenge McConnell as a tea party candidate. Politico also reported this week that Bevin, a Republican, met with organizers of some major Washington-based conservative political groups.

Bevin, a Louisville resident who is an advisor in the investment firm Waycross Partners, made local headlines when the historic Bevin Bros. factory burned down in a massive fire in May 2012. Built in 1832, this was the last operating bell factory in North America, giving East Hampton the nickname "Bell Town USA."

The company still continues to do business, however, and it garnered attention last year when it announced it would be manufacturing Salvation Army bells ahead of the 2012 holiday season.

The Hartford Courant notes that McConnell, while being a national figure, is considered vulnerable by some analysts in his home state. But McConnell's camp has publicly struck back at Bevin, with his campaign manager calling him not a Kentucky native but rather an "East Coast con man," the Journal-Courier reported.

Past stories on the Bevin Brothers Bell Factory fire:

• Fire Destroys Bevin Bell Factory
• Photo Gallery: Bevin Bell Factory Fire
• Bevin Brothers Gets Big Boost in Bell Making
• Owner Uncertain of Bell Factory's Future
• The Bell Factory Fire's Other Casualty
• Bevin Challenges East Hampton