There may be a new rising star in the Clooney family.

Nick Clooney -- a columnist and on-air personality who's better known outside the Cincinnati area as the father of actor George Clooney and brother of late belter Rosemary Clooney -- has thrown his hat into the race for the U.S. House of Representatives seat now occupied by Democrat Ken Lucas.

Also a Democrat, Clooney, 67, is a political neophyte, having never run for or held office, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Republicans, however, would consider Clooney's published columns -- he writes a thrice-weekly column for the Cincinnati Post -- and public statements to be liberal, the paper notes.

"I will tell you what I believe to be the truth, whether you agree with me or not, whether it is politically correct or not, whether an election hinges on it or not," the elder Clooney said in a statement announcing his candidacy.

A Post editor tells Reuters that Clooney will be taking a leave of absence from the newspaper.

Lucas is the lone Democrat in Kentucky's eight-member congressional delegation, the paper notes. Although he often has crossed party lines to vote Republican, he resisted a call from the White House to switch party affiliations. He is retiring because of a pledge to serve just three terms.

Meanwhile, not all political news is good news in the Clooney household. HBO has opted not to sign up for a second season of "K Street," the heavily hyped reality/political drama backed by George Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh, notes Variety.