Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich (/kuːˈsɪnɪtʃ/; born October 8, 1946) is an American politician. Originally a Democrat, Kucinich served as U.S. Representative from Ohio's 10th congressional district from 1997 to 2013. From 1977 to 1979, he served a term as mayor of Cleveland, where he narrowly survived a recall election and successfully fought an effort to sell the municipal electric utility before losing his reelection contest to George Voinovich.
Dennis Kucinich
Independent (since 2024)
Democratic (until 2024)
Considered one of the most politically liberal members of Congress during his tenure, Kucinich unsuccessfully ran for president in the 2004 and 2008 Democratic primaries. During his 2004 presidential campaign, he ran as a staunch opponent of the Iraq War, garnering him support among some anti-war activists.[4] Despite not winning a single primary contest, Kucinich was the last opponent of eventual nominee John Kerry to drop out.[5]
As a 2008 presidential candidate, Kucinich ran in support of single-payer health care, the impeachment of then-Vice President Dick Cheney, and the establishment of a "Department of Peace".[6] He dropped out early during the 2008 primary contest after faring poorly in early states.[7] During his final two terms in Congress, Kucinich at times criticized then-President Barack Obama, and argued in favor of Obama's impeachment following the 2011 military intervention in Libya.[8]
As a result of redistricting following the 2010 census, redrawn congressional boundaries forced Kucinich to face Representative Marcy Kaptur in the newly-drawn 9th district. Kaptur defeated Kucinich in the Democratic primary, and Kucinich left office in 2013.[9] In January 2013, he became a contributor on the Fox News Channel appearing on programs such as The O'Reilly Factor. He ran for governor of Ohio in the 2018 election, losing in the primary to Richard Cordray. Kucinich was also an unsuccessful primary candidate in the 2021 Cleveland mayoral election.[10] He has filed to run for Ohio's 7th congressional district as an Independent in 2024.[11]
Early life and education
Kucinich was born in Cleveland's West Side Tremont neighborhood, the oldest of the seven children of Virginia (née Norris) and Frank J. Kucinich.[12][13] His father, who was of Croat ancestry,[14] worked as a truck driver and was a member of the Teamsters for 35 years;[15] his Irish American mother was a homemaker.[14] Growing up, his family moved 21 times and Dennis was often charged with the responsibility of finding apartments they could afford.[16]
Kucinich graduated from St. John Cantius High School in 1965.[17] He attended Cleveland State University from 1967 to 1970.[18] In 1973, he graduated from Case Western Reserve University with both a Bachelor and a Master of Arts degree in speech and communication.[19]
Television pundit
In January 2013, Kucinich joined Fox News Channel as a regular contributor.[82][83] He appeared on The O'Reilly Factor and other Fox News shows.[84] Kucinich quit Fox News in January 2018 as he announced plans to run for governor.[85] Since running for governor, Kucinich has reappeared on the network, in 2019 discussing Democratic primary debates,[86] and has appeared on Larry King's PoliticKING program, speaking against the Democrats' push to impeach President Trump.[87]
Recognition
In 2003, Kucinich received the Gandhi Peace Award, an annual award bestowed by the Religious Society of Friends-affiliated organization Promoting Enduring Peace.[12] In 2010, he was awarded the US Peace Prize by the US Peace Memorial Foundation “in recognition of his national leadership to prevent and end wars.”[150]
After Kucinich lost to Marcy Kaptur in the 2012 Democratic primary, Representative Keith Ellison said of Kucinich, "At the end of the day, we're really going to miss Dennis. Dennis is a transformative leader. He stood up and spoke eloquently, passionately about Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran. He was a consistent voice for peace... He almost didn't vote for the health care bill because it wasn't good enough."[151]