Major developments have arisen for libertarian Republicans for US Senate races in the last few weeks.

Rand Paul, son of Texas Congressman Ron Paul, announced his intentions to run in Kentucky, and is already raising significant contributions through money bombs on-line. The younger Paul will be seeking the seat of retiring GOP Senator and former Major League Baseball great Jim Bunning.

Peter Schiff, son of famed Tax Protester Irwin Schiff, is moving towards a formal announcement for a candidacy in Connecticut to challenge embattled incumbent Democrat Chris Dodd.

Now, the unexpected has happened in Massachusetts: Ted Kennedy has leaked his impending retirement, but with a twist. Kennedy is seeking to get the Legislature to pass a law allowing Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint his successor. The plan has been met with nearly universal condemnation. The unlikelyhood of such a maneuver going through, now opens the door for a special election in 5 months. And the hottest name on the lips of Massachusetts Republican politicos is State Senator Bob Hedlund of Weymouth.

Hedlund is a longtime self-described "libertarian." He was an attendee to the first major Republican Liberty Caucus national convention in 1994. He is a longtime friend of the Libertarian Party, and has been a speaker at numerous libertarian gathering. He's a staunch economic free marketeer, Hayekian, and devotee of Ludvig von Mises. But he's also a social libertarian; an amateur rock guitarist, a comedian/radio talk show host and a staunch proponent of marijuana legalization.

See video of Hedlund headlining a rally in Florida for Ron Paul for President at YouTube. In the intro, Hedlund notes how proud he is to be an "elected Libertarian Republican."

Hedlund was already being touted for higher office before the Kennedy story broke, including Lt. Governor with GOP candidate Charlie Baker. From the Boston Herald, Aug. 17 BostonHerald.com:

All three have unquestionable libertarian credentials. All three come from might be described as the "Ron Paul side" of the libertarian movement, but minus the "kooky fringe" element. For instance, Rand Paul has gone out of his way to distance himself from his Father's more radical foreign policy views, stating categorically that as a Senator he would have voted for the War in Afghanistan. Schiff generally steers clear of divisive stances on the Wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan, emphasizing more our mounting foreign debt, and China relations.

All three are vocal critics of current Federal Reserve, and of Fiat Currency. All three are in favor of massive tax reform, including staunch opposition to confiscatory taxation and privacy invasions by the IRS.

A Paul-Schiff-Hedlund axis in the Senate could form the nucleus of a bonafide "Liberty Caucus." South Dakota Senator John Thune, Sen. Cornyn of Texas, and South Carolina's Jim DeMint already lean libertarian. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, (photo above waving a copy of the Constitution), is by most accounts the Senate's most libertarian member. And it's likely that two libertarian-conservatives will be added to the list: Constitutionalist Conservative Michael Williams of Texas and former Club for Growth President Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

Paul-Schiff-Hedlund could move the group of Senators already there, even more in the direction of uncompromising support for Liberty.

Let's keep our fingers crossed. And do the necessary work, and make the necessary contributions in the coming months, to make sure that the Caucus for Liberty Dream, becomes a Reality.