The Penn State Paterno name is crossing genres, as Joe and Sue Paterno's son attempts to overcome his controversial Daily Collegian columns and set his sights on Capitol Hill.

Scott Paterno is seeking the Republican nomination to represent Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

During his time as a Penn State student, Scott Paterno was a Daily Collegian columnist. The topics of Paterno's columns ranged from drugs to politics.

In what Paterno considers to be his most controversial column, he created a scenario in which he asked readers which group consisted of felons -- group A, with drunken students who start a fight and vandalize property, or group B, with students smoking marijuana and making noise.

He followed by writing: "If you answered group B, please read this with an open mind then call me a felon."

The column went on to argue that narcotics should be legalized.

Campaign manager Dean Ouellette said Scott Paterno mentioned the columns when he was approached to run in October. Ouellette said he considers the columns a "dead issue."

The Paterno campaign decided to post all 27 columns on its Web site, www.paterno2004.com.

In October 1996, one month before the presidential election, Paterno wrote a series about former President Bill Clinton's alleged political murders.

"In my opinion, the president of the United States is a felon. In my opinion, President Clinton, at the very least, conspired to commit murder at least 56 times," Paterno wrote.

Ouellette said Paterno admits to writing the columns in college, referring to some as "stupid rantings from a college kid," but Ouellette added that most of the columns are thoughtful.

The columns created a different reaction among Paterno's five opponents.

"It bothers me a little that he wasn't 17 or 18 when the columns were written; he was in his mid-20s, and he's only [31] now," said Republican candidate Sue Helm. "My biggest fear is that the Republicans will downplay it now, and when he's up against the incumbent, the Democrats will hammer, hammer, hammer, and the Republicans won't get their seat back."

Republican candidate Mark Stewart is a Penn State graduate and served as the Undergraduate Student Government president during the 1991-92 academic year.

"We are all accountable for things we do, particularly the situations we advocate, especially things that aren't far in the past," Stewart said.

Despite the column controversy, influential politicians have supported Scott Paterno. Joe Paterno and former President George Bush held a fund-raising dinner Friday in support of Scott Paterno.

"The Paterno and Bush relationship goes back really far," Ouellette said. Joe Paterno endorsed Bush in 1980 and 1988 for the Republican presidential nomination.

Ouellette said early this year, Scott Paterno called his father seeking advice. Joe Paterno offered to call former President Bush.

"Bush said he'd help in any way he could. Unfortunately, as in any campaign, we needed help fund raising, so we set up the dinner," Ouellette said.

The $2,000-a-plate fund-raiser was held in Washington, D.C. Former U.S. Congressman, football player and coach J.C. Watts attended the fund-raiser.

"We had a great turnout. The former president said some very kind things about Scott," said Lauren Brobson, a Scott Paterno spokesperson.

Paterno, 31, received his bachelor's degree in political science at University Park before graduating from Penn State's Dickinson School of Law.