Journalist and pundit Mickey Kaus officially moved his well-read blog from Slate to his own, independently hosted URL, kausfiles.com, after filing to run in the Democratic primary against U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer.

He had stated that he wanted to tap into his sizable audience and use his blog as a campaign platform. Kaus also expressed concerns about running afoul of U.S. campaign laws, as Slate paid him to blog and thus might be a contributor. He might have also had an unfair advantage at Slate if it did not give equal space to opponents.

Kaus first indie blog posts cover President Obama's successful health-care package, his own victory in getting enough signatures to quality for his senate run, the unhealthy power of unions in the city's budget crisis, and more.

Because it takes so much corporate cash to run for a major office like the U.S. Senate, Kaus' chances are nil. His campaign goal is geared toward getting a message out there that the Democratic Party, in his view, has strayed from its ideals and been taken over by unions and other special interests.

That led us to wonder aloud recently if he's pulling a Ralph Nader on a Barbara Boxer who is up against the ropes in polls that put her within a few percentage points of possible Republican challengers.

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