Ralph Nader is poking his nose into the Kentucky Senate race. From the Louisville Courier-Journal:

Nader sent a letter Wednesday to Rand Paul, the Republican nominee in Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race, asking about his positions on various legislative proposals offered by his father, Ron Paul, a Texas Republican.

“Interested observers of your campaign for the U.S. Senate often wonder the extent to which your views concur with those of your illustrious father,” Nader wrote.

In particular, Nader said he was interested in how Rand Paul felt about a measure his father introduced last year that would legalize the production of industrial hemp, part of the family of plants that includes marijuana.

…Nader also asked Paul about six other bills his father has sponsored, including a proposed constitutional amendment abolishing the income tax, estate tax and gift tax and a bill dismantling the Federal Reserve system.

The consumer advocate doesn’t seem too fired up about the options presented to Kentucky voters.

In an interview, Nader said he was not endorsing anyone in the Kentucky Senate race.

He said he had listened to a radio broadcast of last week’s debate between Paul and Democrat Jack Conway, saying it was “so insipid, so dull.”

“Citizens should really try to spruce up campaign debates,” Nader said. “I just want to broaden it.”

Rand Paul has had some limited coverage here at IPR in the past. He is the son of Rep. Ron Paul, the 1988 LP Presidential nominee. In other news on the Kentucky Republican, Rand was introduced by NYC City Councilman Dan Halloran at a Webster Hall fundraiser. Halloran was endorsed by the LP in his run for the position. 

Other Nader news: In Pennsylvania, one senior Democrat and State Rep’s trial for “political corruption” continues to heat up. The case of Bill Deweese, the former PA House speaker, was just sent to county court two days ago. Much of the action focused on Deweese’s testimony from December:

In it, DeWeese acknowledged having campaign fundraising specialists on his staff and expressed regret over a successful campaign to remove Ralph Nader from the 2004 presidential ballot in Pennsylvania – an effort that enlisted legislative employees during work hours.

“Looking back, it was wrong – they shouldn’t have done it, but it was part of the political culture on Capitol Hill,” DeWeese told the jury, according to the transcript read by deputy attorney general Michael A. Sprow.