Rand Paul Jumps Into Kentucky Senate Race

Rand Paul, son of Texas Congressman Ron Paul, has made it official this past week.  His is running for Senator of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. 

It is an interesting irony involving a state that has sat center stage in the world of online gambling over the past 15 months.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear had attempted to seize 141 Internet gambling domain names in October of 2008 before an Appeals Court ruled against a lower court's decision to allow such a seizure.

Rand Paul's father has been an outspoken advocate for the freedom to gamble online and there is little to suggest the younger Paul's views are any different from his dad's.

For months now there have been murmurs throughout the online gambling sector to begin raising funds for Paul's campaign as a show of support for his dad while slapping the hand of Kentucky's current Governor.  Beshear is a Democrat.  Paul is a Republican.

Such an effort would take place without the support of online gambling's leading trade organization, The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association.

"We cannot get into supporting one politician over another," expressed Joe Brennan, Jr., President of iMEGA.org.

The headaches in Kentucky continue for online gambling as Beshear's attorneys have threatened to name names as part of a further appeals process.  Those names are presumably poker professionals who the commonwealth is seeking to tie into ownership of at least one online poker venture.  Attorneys for the commonwealth are prepared to argue that some of the 141 online gambling sites are not entirely based offshore (as per previous arguments) as some of the principals live within the United States.

As for Rand Paul, his chances look especially good in November 2010. He has reportedly already raised $1.7 million for his run, largely from people who supported his father's failed bid for the GOP presidential nomination last year.