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By Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian

November 13, 2009, 9:02AM

After messing with the heads of Democrats in the last four presidential elections, Ralph Nader may now be ready to cause problems for Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn.

The veteran consumer advocate tells Politico he's open to the idea of running against Dodd, who is already in tough political straits. As Politico notes:

Nader's entry as a third party candidate would be terrible news for Dodd, who is hoping to energize his liberal base in possible match-ups against GOP challengers Rob Simmons and Linda McMahon, who lead him in public polls.

It's hard to know if Nader, a Connecticut native who is still registered to vote there, is really serious about running for the Senate. "You can't believe the number of people of asking me [to run]... Right now I'd say I'm agnostic," Nader told Politico.

While Nader is 75, he shows no signs of slowing down. And a Connecticut Senate run wouldn't keep him running for president again in 2012.

Dodd, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, has been taking heat for what critics have said is his coziness with the financial industry. Dodd sought to bolster his reformer credentials by introducing a tough financial regulation bill earlier this week.

But Nader said Dodd still isn't doing enough to clamp down on exotic financial products.