Dennis Kucinich

Dennis John Kucinich (kuːˈsɪnɪtʃ; born October 8, 1946) is an American politician. 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 survived a recall election and successfully fought an effort to sell the municipal electric utility before losing his reelection contest to George Voinovich. 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. Despite not winning a single primary contest, Kucinich was the last opponent of eventual nominee John Kerry to drop out. 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". He dropped out early during the 2008 primary contest after faring poorly in early states. 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. 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. 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. Kucinich was born in Cleveland's West Side Tremont neighborhood, the oldest of the seven children of Virginia (née Norris) and Frank J. Kucinich.