Dennis John Kucinich (; born October 8, 1946) is an American politician. A
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
from
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
from 1997 to 2013, he was also a candidate for the
Democratic nomination
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list.
Political office
In the ...
for president of the United States in
2004 and
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
. He ran for
governor of Ohio in
the 2018 election, losing in the primary to
Richard Cordray
Richard Adams Cordray (born May 3, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the COO of Federal Student Aid in the United States Department of Education. He served as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFP ...
.
From 1977 to 1979, Kucinich served as the 53rd
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, a tumultuous term in which he
survived a recall election and was successful in a battle against selling the municipal
electric utility
An electric utility is a company in the electric power industry (often a public utility) that engages in electricity generation and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major pr ...
before being defeated for reelection by
George Voinovich. Due to redistricting following the 2010 state elections,
Ohio's 10th congressional district
Ohio's 10th congressional district is represented by Representative Mike Turner ( R). The district is based in southwestern Ohio and consists of Montgomery, Greene, and Fayette counties.
Election results from presidential races
List of m ...
was redrawn in southern Ohio. Kucinich faced Representative
Marcy Kaptur in the 2012 race for the U.S. House,
Ohio's 9th congressional district having absorbed part of
Cuyahoga County. Kaptur defeated Kucinich. In January 2013, he became a contributor on the
Fox News Channel appearing on programs such as ''
The O'Reilly Factor
''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...
''. Kucinich was also an unsuccessful primary candidate in the
2021 Cleveland mayoral election
The 2021 Cleveland mayoral election took place on November 2, 2021, to elect the Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. The election was officially nonpartisan, with the top two candidates from the September 14 primary election advancing to the general elec ...
.
Early life and education
Kucinich was born in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
's West Side
Tremont neighborhood, the oldest of the seven children of Virginia (née Norris) and Frank J. Kucinich.
["About Dennis Kucinich." ''Dennis for President''. July 24, 2007](_blank)
His father, who was of
Croat
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...
ancestry,
worked as a
truck driver
A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...
and was a member of the
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the ...
for 35 years; his Irish American mother was a
homemaker
Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a hous ...
.
Growing up, his family moved 21 times and Dennis was often charged with the responsibility of finding apartments they could afford.
Kucinich graduated from St. John Cantius High School in 1965. He attended
Cleveland State University from 1967 to 1970.
In 1973, he graduated from
Case Western Reserve University with both a
Bachelor
A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". ().
Etymo ...
and a Master of Arts degree in speech and communication.
["About Dennis." ''Congressman Dennis Kucinich''. July 25, 2007 ]
Early political career
Kucinich's political career began in 1967 when he ran unsuccessfully for office. In 1969, he was elected to the
Cleveland City Council
Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Its chambers are located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue, across the street from Public Auditorium in Downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Ci ...
at the age of 23.
In 1972, Kucinich ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, losing narrowly to incumbent
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
William E. Minshall Jr. After Minshall's retirement in 1974 Kucinich sought the seat again, this time failing to get the Democratic nomination, which went to
Ronald M. Mottl
Ronald Milton Mottl (born February 6, 1934) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a Democratic member of the state House of Representatives of Ohio from 1987 to 1997. Before that, he served four terms in the United States House of ...
. Kucinich ran as an
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
candidate in the general election, placing third with about 30% of the vote. In 1975, Kucinich became clerk of the municipal court in Cleveland and served in that position for two years.
Cleveland mayor
![Nlc04123cs (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Nlc04123cs_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Kucinich was elected mayor of Cleveland
in 1977 and served in that position until 1979.
[''The Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History'' by Cleveland Bicentennial Commission (Cleveland, Ohio), David D. Van Tassel (Editor), and John J. Grabowski (Editor) ] At age 31, he was the youngest mayor of a major city in the United States,
earning him the nickname "the boy mayor of Cleveland".
Kucinich's tenure as mayor is often regarded as one of the most tumultuous in Cleveland's history.
[''The Plain Dealer'', August 1, 1999. ''Our Century: 'Boy Mayor' Leads Battle Into Default'' by Fred McGunagle.][''The Crisis of Growth Politics: Cleveland, Kucinich, and the Challenge of Urban Populism'' by Todd Swanstrom ]
After Kucinich refused to sell
Municipal Light (now Cleveland Public Power), Cleveland's
publicly owned electric utility, the
Cleveland mafia
The Cleveland crime family or Cleveland Mafia is the collective name given to a succession of Italian-American organized crime gangs based in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. A part of the Italian-American Mafia (or ''Cosa Nostra'') phenom ...
sought to murder him in a
contract killing. A
hit man
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may ...
from
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
planned to shoot him in the head during the
Columbus Day
Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492.
...
Parade, but the plot fell apart when Kucinich was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer and missed the event.
When the city fell into default shortly thereafter, the Mafia leaders called off the contract killer.
In 1984, John F. Sopko, then assistant counsel to the Minority Subcommittee staff, testified to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, "Intelligence information gleaned by the Maryland State Police and Cleveland Police Department confirmed that the murder contract was, in general terms, due to the fact that Kucinich had caused considerable problems for local dishonest businessmen, politicians and criminals." Sopko said, "It was alleged that Kucinich had been impeding organized criminal activities and its ability to make money in the city. As a result, someone decided to do away with the mayor."
The
Cleveland Trust Company
KeyBank, the primary subsidiary of KeyCorp, is a regional bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and is the only major bank based in Cleveland. KeyBank is one of the largest banks in the United States.
Key's customer base spans retail, small ...
suddenly required all the city's debts be paid in full, forcing the city into default, after news of Kucinich's refusal to sell the city utility. For years, these debts were routinely rolled over, pending future payment, until Kucinich's announcement was made public. In 1998, the
Cleveland City Council
Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Its chambers are located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue, across the street from Public Auditorium in Downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Ci ...
honored him for having had the "courage and foresight" to stand up to the banks, which saved the city an estimated $195 million between 1985 and 1995.
Post-mayoralty
After losing his reelection bid for mayor to
George Voinovich in 1979, Kucinich initially kept a low profile in Cleveland politics. He criticized a tax
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
Voinovich proposed in 1980, which voters eventually approved. He also struggled to find employment and moved to Los Angeles, where he stayed with a friend, actress
Shirley MacLaine.
For the next three years, Kucinich worked as a
radio talk-show
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
host, lecturer, and consultant.
It was a difficult period for him financially. Without a steady paycheck, Kucinich fell behind in his mortgage payments, nearly lost his house in Cleveland, and borrowed money from friends, including MacLaine, to keep it.
On his 1982
income tax
An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
return, Kucinich reported an income of $38.
Of this period, Kucinich has said, "When I was growing up in Cleveland, my early experience conditioned me to hang in there and not to quit... It's one thing to experience that as a child, but when you have to as an adult, it has a way to remind you how difficult things can be. You understand what people go through."
In 1982, Kucinich moved back to Cleveland and ran for
Secretary of State; he lost the Democratic primary to
Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Campbell Brown (; born November 9, 1952) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Ohio, a seat which he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Ohio's ...
.
In 1983, Kucinich won a
special election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
to fill the seat of a Cleveland
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
man who had died. His brother, Gary Kucinich, was also a councilman at the time.
In 1985, there was some speculation that Kucinich might run for mayor again. Instead, his brother Gary ran against (and lost to) the incumbent Voinovich. Kucinich, meanwhile, gave up his council position to run for
governor of Ohio as an independent against
Richard Celeste, but later withdrew from the race. After this, Kucinich, in his own words "on a quest for meaning," lived quietly in New Mexico until 1994, when he won a seat in the
Ohio State Senate.
House of Representatives
![Kucinich june07](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Kucinich_june07.JPG)
In 1996, Kucinich was elected to represent
Ohio's 10th district in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating two-term Republican incumbent
Martin Hoke
Martin R. Hoke (born May 18, 1952) is an American Republican politician, former member of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, and former member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.
Biography
Hoke was born in Lakewood, Ohio, a ...
by three percentage points. He never faced another general election contest that close and was reelected seven times.
Committee assignments
*
Committee on Education and the Workforce
The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 50 members in this committee. Since 2019, the chair of the Education and Labor committee is Robert Cortez Scott of Virginia.
Hi ...
**
Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
**
Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
*
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
**
Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending (Ranking Member)
Kucinich served as chair of the
Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most left-leaning faction of the Democratic Party. " e Congressional Progressive Cau ...
from 1999 to 2003, after founding chair
Bernie Sanders, and was succeeded by
Peter DeFazio
Peter Anthony DeFazio (; born May 27, 1947) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 1987. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Roseburg, Coos B ...
.
Kucinich was one of the 31 House Democrats who voted to not count the 20
electoral votes from
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
in the
2004 presidential election, despite Republican President George Bush winning the state by 118,457 votes.
Domestic policy voting record
In 2008, Kucinich introduced articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives against President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
for the invasion and occupation of
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
.
Although his voting record was not always in line with that of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, on March 17, 2010, after being courted by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
, his wife and others, Kucinich reluctantly agreed to vote with his colleagues for the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...
without a public option component.
Kucinich criticized the
flag-burning amendment and voted against the impeachment of President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
. His congressional voting record was strongly
anti-abortion, although he has noted that he never supported a
constitutional amendment prohibiting abortion altogether. In 2003, however, he began describing himself as
pro-abortion rights and said he had shifted away from his earlier position.
[Marc Sandalow,]
Ohio Presidential Hopeful Pivots Over to Pro-Choice Camp
", ''San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...
'', February 23, 2003. Press releases
A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...
indicated that he supported abortion rights, ending
abstinence-only sex education
Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...
and increasing the use of
contraception
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...
to make abortion "less necessary" over time. His voting record since 2003 received mixed ratings from abortion rights groups.
Presidential campaigns
2004
![Dennis Kucinich 2004 Democratic National Convention](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Dennis_Kucinich_2004_Democratic_National_Convention.jpg)
Kucinich was criticized during his 2004 campaign for changing his stance on the issue of abortion.
His explanation was "I've always worked to make abortions less necessary, through sex education and birth control. But the direction that Congress has taken, increasingly, is to make it impossible for women to be able to have an abortion if they need to protect their health. So when I saw the direction taken, it finally came to the point where I understood that women will not be truly free unless they have the right to choose."
On December 10, 2003, the
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...
(ABC) announced the removal of its correspondents from the campaigns of Kucinich,
Carol Moseley Braun
Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun, also sometimes Moseley-Braun (born August 16, 1947), is a former U.S. Senator, an American diplomat, politician, and lawyer who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. Prior to her Senate ...
and
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, talk show host and politician. Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democrati ...
.
["Kucinich & Braun Blast ABC For Reducing Campaign Coverage."](_blank)
''Democracy Now!
''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live each weekday at ...
'' December 12, 2003. Retrieved July 24, 2007. Previously critical of the limited coverage given his campaign, Kucinich characterized ABC's decision as an example of media companies' power to shape campaigns by choosing which candidates to cover and questioned its timing, coming immediately after the debate.
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
, while stating its commitment to give coverage to a wide range of candidates, argued that focusing more of its "finite resources" on the candidates most likely to win would best serve the public.
In the
2004 Democratic presidential nomination race, national polls consistently showed Kucinich's support in single digits. In the
Iowa caucuses
The Iowa caucuses are biennial electoral events for members of the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. state of Iowa. Unlike primary elections in most other U.S. states, where registered voters go to polling places to cast ballot ...
, he finished fifth, receiving about 1% of the state delegates, far below the 15% threshold for receiving national delegates. He performed similarly in the
New Hampshire primary, placing sixth among the seven candidates with 1% of the vote. In the
Mini-Tuesday primaries, he finished near the bottom in most states. His best performance was in
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
, where he received over 5% of the vote but still no delegates. Kucinich's best showing in any Democratic contest was in the February 24 Hawaii caucus, in which he won 31% of caucus participants, finishing second behind Senator
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...
and winning
Maui County
Maui County, officially the County of Maui, is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It consists of the islands of Maui, Lānai, Molokai (except for a portion of Molokai that comprises Kalawao County), Kahoolawe, and Molokini. The latter two a ...
, the only county Kucinich won in either of his presidential campaigns. He also had a double-digit showing in
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
on February 8, receiving 16% percent in the state's caucus. On
Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday is the United States presidential primary election day in February or March when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections and caucuses. Approximately one-third of all delegates to the presidential nominating co ...
, March 2, Kucinich had another strong showing in the
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
caucus, receiving 17% of the vote. In Ohio, he received 9%. Kucinich campaigned heavily in
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, spending 30 days there during the two months leading up to the state's May 18
primary. He continued his campaign because "the future direction of the Democratic Party has not yet been determined" and chose to focus on Oregon "because of its progressive tradition and its pioneering spirit."
He won 16% of the vote.
Even after Kerry won enough delegates to secure the nomination, Kucinich continued to campaign until just before the convention, citing an effort to help shape the agenda of the Democratic Party. He was the last candidate to end his campaign. He endorsed Kerry on July 22, four days before the start of the Democratic National Convention.
2008
![Dennis Kucinich speaking at SEIU event, January 26, 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Dennis_Kucinich_speaking_at_SEIU_event%2C_January_26%2C_2007.jpg)
On December 11, 2006, in a speech at Cleveland City Hall, Kucinich announced he would seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2008.
Kucinich told his supporters in Iowa that if he did not appear on the second ballot in a caucus that they should back
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
.
At an October 2007 debate,
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's
Tim Russert
Timothy John Russert (May 7, 1950 – June 13, 2008) was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's ''Meet the Press''. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Wa ...
cited a passage from a book by
Shirley MacLaine in which she writes that Kucinich had seen a
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
. Asked if it was true, Kucinich confirmed it.
In November 2007,
Larry Flynt
Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. (; November 1, 1942 – February 10, 2021) was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). LFP mainly produces pornographic magazines, such as ''Hustler'', pornographic videos, and three por ...
hosted a fundraiser for Kucinich that drew criticism from Flynt's detractors. Campaign representatives declined to comment. Kucinich was endorsed by author
Gore Vidal
Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and e ...
and actor Viggo Mortensen. In January 2008, he asked for a New Hampshire recount based on alleged discrepancies between the machine-counted ballots and the hand-counted ballots. He stated that he wanted to make sure "100% of the voters had 100% of their votes counted."
In January 2008, Kucinich was excluded from a Democratic presidential debate on
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...
due to his poor showing in the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries. A ruling that the debate could not go ahead without him was overturned on appeal. Later that month, Kucinich dropped out of the race and did not endorse any other candidate. He endorsed
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
after Obama won the nomination.
![Dennis Kucinich DNC 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Dennis_Kucinich_DNC_2008.jpg)
On August 27, 2008, he delivered a speech at the
Democratic National Convention.
Congressional campaigns
Until 2012, Kucinich was reelected to Congress by big margins in his strongly Democratic-leaning districts.
2006
Kucinich defeated a Democratic primary challenger by a wide margin and defeated Republican Mike Dovilla in the general election with 66% of the vote.
2008
His opponents included
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
City Councilman
Joe Cimperman and
North Olmsted
North Olmsted is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 32,442. North Olmsted is a west side suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, and is the 8th most ...
Mayor Thomas O'Grady. In February 2008, Kucinich raised around $50,000 compared to Cimperman's $228,000, but through a YouTube fund-raising campaign he managed to raise $700,000, surpassing Cimperman's $487,000.
Cimperman, who was endorsed by the mayor of Cleveland and ''
The Plain Dealer
''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday.
As of Ma ...
'', criticized Kucinich for focusing too much on campaigning for president and not on the district. Kucinich accused Cimperman of representing
corporate
A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...
and real estate interests. Cimperman described Kucinich as an absentee congressman who failed to pass any major legislative initiatives in his 12-year
House career. In an interview, Cimperman said he was tired of Kucinich and Cleveland being joke fodder for late-night talk-show hosts, saying: "It's time for him to go home."
A Cimperman campaign ad stated that Kucinich had missed over 300 votes, but the actual number was 139.
It was also suggested that Kucinich's calls for
universal health care
Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...
and an immediate withdrawal from
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
made him a thorn in the side of the Democrats' congressional leadership, as well as his refusal to pledge to support the eventual presidential nominee, which he later reconsidered.
Kucinich took part in a debate with the other primary challengers.
Barbara Ferris
Barbara Gillian Ferris (born 27 July 1942, London) is an English actress and former fashion model.
She appeared in a number of films and productions for television and is possibly best remembered as Dinah, the young woman who eloped with Dave ...
criticized him for not bringing as much money back to the district as other area legislators and authoring just one bill that passed during his 12 years in Congress. Kucinich responded: "It was a Republican Congress and there weren't many Democrats passing meaningful legislation during a Republican Congress." He won the primary with 68,156 votes out of 135,589 cast, beating Cimperman 52% to 33%.
Kucinich defeated former
State Representative Jim Trakas in the November 4
general election with 157,268 votes, 57.02% of those cast. Trakas received 107,918 votes (39.13%).
2010
Kucinich defeated Republican nominee Peter J. Corrigan and Libertarian nominee Jeff Goggins in the November 2 general election with 101,343 votes, 53.1% of those cast.
2012
Redistricting after the 2010 census eliminated Kucinich's district. The new map shifted the bulk of Kucinich's territory, including his home, to the
Toledo-based 9th District, represented since 1983 by fellow Democrat
Marcy Kaptur. Kucinich had been endorsed by another House member,
Barney Frank
Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a former American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democrat, Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committ ...
of
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. The two competed in the Democratic primary on March 6, with Graham Veysey, a small-business owner from Cleveland, also on the ballot. Kaptur won the primary with 56% of the vote to Kucinich's 40%. The redrawn district contained roughly 60% of Kaptur's former territory.
In the general election, with 73% of the vote, Kaptur won a 16th term against Republican
Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher and
Libertarian Sean Stipe.
Kucinich had been mentioned frequently as a possible 2012 candidate for Congress in
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
's newly created
10th district, but he decided to retire from Congress when his term ended in January 2013.
2018 gubernatorial campaign
In January 2018, Kucinich announced his candidacy for
governor of Ohio in the 2018 election. He was criticized for working as a
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
contributor. Tara Samples, an
Akron
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...
city councilwoman, was his running mate.
Our Revolution
Our Revolution (sometimes known by its initials OR) is an American progressive political action organization spun out of Senator Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign to continue its work. The organization's mission is to educate vote ...
, a grassroots progressive organization founded by
Bernie Sanders, endorsed Kucinich, but Sanders did not.
Kucinich lost the primary to
Richard Cordray
Richard Adams Cordray (born May 3, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the COO of Federal Student Aid in the United States Department of Education. He served as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFP ...
, 62.3% to 22.9%.
2021 Cleveland mayor campaign
In December 2020, Kucinich announced his candidacy for mayor of Cleveland in the 2021 election. Though seen as likely to qualify in the seven-way nonpartisan primary for the two runoff spots, Kucinich finished in third place with 16.54%.
Television pundit
In January 2013, Kucinich joined
Fox News Channel as a regular contributor. He appeared on ''
The O'Reilly Factor
''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...
'' and other Fox News shows. Kucinich quit Fox News in January 2018 as he announced plans to run for governor. Since running for governor, Kucinich has reappeared on the network, in 2019 discussing Democratic primary debates, and has appeared on
Larry King
Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys, an Emmy and 10 Cable ACE Awards. Over his career, he hosted over 50,000 interviews. ...
's ''
PoliticKING'' program, speaking against the Democrats' push to
impeach President Trump.
Political positions
After being elected to Congress in 1996, Kucinich began to position himself on the left. Based on his voting record in Congress, the
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded on ...
(ACU) gave Kucinich a conservative rating of 9.73%, and for 2008, the liberal
Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting pro ...
(ADA) gave him a liberal rating of 95%. He was often regarded as one of the most
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
members of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
. Describing his views in the
2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries
From January 3 to June 3, 2008, voters of the Democratic Party chose their nominee for president in the 2008 United States presidential election. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was selected as the nominee, becoming the first African Am ...
, he said, "I'm from the
universal-health-care wing of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
. I'm from the
Roe v. Wade
''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and s ...
-
litmus-test wing of the Democratic Party. I'm from the
abolish-the-death-penalty wing of the Democratic Party."
Abortion
Until 2002, Kucinich's voting record was strongly
anti-abortion, but he maintained a
pro-abortion rights stance thereafter. In 1996, he was quoted as saying that "life begins at conception", and he voted in favor of banning
partial birth abortion and preventing the transport of minors to undergo abortion procedures. He said in a 2003 interview that he had a "journey" on the abortion issue that "caused me to break from a voting record that had not been pro-choice".
Attempted impeachment of George W. Bush
![George W](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/George_W._Bush_and_Dennis_Kucinich.jpg)
On June 10, 2008, Kucinich introduced 35
articles
Article often refers to:
* Article (grammar), a grammatical element used to indicate definiteness or indefiniteness
* Article (publishing), a piece of nonfictional prose that is an independent part of a publication
Article may also refer to:
G ...
of
impeachment against President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
on the floor of the House of Representatives.
On June 11, the resolution was referred to the
House Judiciary Committee.
Calling it "a sworn duty" of Congress to act, co-sponsor
Robert Wexler
Robert Ira Wexler (born January 2, 1961) is an American politician and lawyer from Florida. He is the president of the Washington-based S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. Wexler was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Repres ...
said, "President Bush deliberately created a massive propaganda campaign to sell the war in Iraq to the American people and the charges detailed in this impeachment resolution indicate an unprecedented abuse of executive power." On July 10, 2008, Kucinich introduced an additional
article of impeachment
An article of impeachment is a documented statement which specifies the charges to be tried in an impeachment trial as a basis for removing an officeholder. Articles of impeachment are an aspect of impeachment processes of many governments that uti ...
accusing Bush of misleading Congress into war. On July 14, 2008 Kucinich introduced a new resolution of impeachment against Bush, charging him with manufacturing evidence to sway public opinion in favor of the war in Iraq. This resolution was also sent to the judiciary committee.
Attempted impeachment of Dick Cheney
On April 17, 2007, Kucinich sent a letter to his Democratic colleagues saying that he planned to file
impeachment proceedings against
Dick Cheney, then Vice President of the United States. Kucinich planned to introduce the impeachment articles on April 24, 2007, but in light of Cheney's visit to his doctor for an inspection of a
blood clot
A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of ...
, Kucinich postponed the press conference "until the vice president's condition is clarified."
Kucinich held a press conference on April 24, 2007, revealing
House Resolution 333 and the three
articles of impeachment
Impeachment in the United States is the process by which a legislature may bring charges against an officeholder for misconduct alleged to have been committed with a penalty of removal. Impeachment may also occur at the state level if the sta ...
against Cheney. He charged Cheney with manipulating the evidence of Iraq's weapons program, deceiving the nation about Iraq's connection to
al-Qaeda, and threatening aggression against Iran in violation of the United Nations charter. Kucinich opened his press conference by quoting from the
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...
, and said, "I believe the Vice President's conduct of office has been destructive to the founding purposes of our nation. Today, I have introduced House Resolution 333, Articles of Impeachment Relating to Vice President Richard B. Cheney. I do so in defense of the rights of the American people to have a government that is honest and peaceful."
On November 6, 2007, Kucinich used special
parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure is the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Its object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense ...
and moved for a vote on impeaching Cheney.
House Majority Leader
Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are ele ...
Steny Hoyer and
House Speaker Pelosi opposed the measure and stood by previous comments that "impeachment is not on our agenda", and they initially moved to table the bill. When that attempt failed, Hoyer moved to refer the bill to the House Judiciary Committee. That motion succeeded.
Barack Obama
In March 2011, Kucinich said that President Obama's decision to approve air strikes against Gaddafi's forces in the Libyan Civil War was an "impeachable offense."
Cannabis
During his 2004 presidential campaign, Kucinich expressed support for a drug policy that "sets reasonable boundaries for
marijuana use by establishing guidelines similar to those already in place for alcohol". He stated: "Most marijuana users do so responsibly, in a safe, recreational context. These people lead normal, productive lives–pursuing careers, raising families and participating in civic life." Kucinich also released a detailed plan for cannabis policy reform during his 2018 campaign for Ohio governor.
Civil liberties
Kucinich has opposed the
USA PATRIOT Act
The USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the Patriot Act) was a landmark Act of the United States Congress, signed into law by President George W. Bush. The formal name of the statute is the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appro ...
since its inception. He voted against the act in 2001, and against its renewal in 2006. He voted for an amendment to the constitution outlawing flag burning and desecration, but later took the opposite stance, voting against a similar amendment in 2005.
[Representative Dennis J. Kucinich](_blank)
VoteSmart.org
In 2007, Kucinich voted to require the Department of Defense to present a detailed plan for transferring prisoners out of
Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Donald Trump
Kucinich has praised and defended President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
in Fox News appearances.
He praised Trump's inaugural speech, calling it "GREAT" and a "message of unity"; others characterized the speech as dark
and "
white nationalist
White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwoo ...
".
According to ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', Kucinich "was a rare left-wing voice attacking '
the deep state' for undermining the president."
On Sean Hannity's show, Kucinich said he believed that a deep state intelligence community worked against Trump and that it was "very dangerous to America", "a threat to our republic" and "a clear and present danger to our way of life."
In February 2017, Kucinich defended
Michael Flynn, saying that the intelligence community had treated him unfairly; in December 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
Kucinich defended Trump's claims that he was being wiretapped, saying that he himself had been wiretapped. He also defended Trump's efforts to improve relations with Russia.
Kucinich criticized some House Democrats for attempting to start impeachment proceedings against Trump.
He said, "The Democratic Party had best be identified with something more than impeachment."
He said that efforts to assess Trump's mental and physical fitness to be president were "destroying the party as an effective opposition."
After the
January 6 United States Capitol attack
On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then- U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob was seeking to keep Trump in p ...
that attempted to overturn Trump's defeat, Kucinich denounced the storming as "an affront to the U.S. Constitution".
Environment and energy
Kucinich had a 100% rating during 2005 and 2006 from the
League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environmen ...
, indicating pro-environment votes. He has said that clean water is "a basic human right".
As mayor of Cleveland, Kucinich favored the city's existing ''Municipal Light System'' and opposed construction of the
Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant and
Perry Nuclear Power Plant on
Lake Erie
Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also h ...
. He opposed a planned regional
radioactive waste
Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weapons r ...
dump, and has long advocated
renewable energy and
efficient energy use.
Fairness Doctrine
Kucinich was involved in efforts to bring back the
Fairness Doctrine
The fairness doctrine of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), introduced in 1949, was a policy that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a mann ...
, requiring radio stations to give liberal and conservative points of view
equal time
The equal-time rule specifies that American radio and television broadcast stations must provide equivalent access to competing political candidates. This means, for example, that if a station broadcasts a message by a candidate in prime time, ...
, which he and other critics of talk radio argue is not presently the case. Fellow Democrat
Maurice Hichney, Vermont's independent Senator
Bernie Sanders, and others have joined him in this effort. Conservatives have criticized these plans, alleging that what they believe to be a liberal-dominated
Hollywood,
academia
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
,
new media
New media describes communication technologies that enable or enhance interaction between users as well as interaction between users and content. In the middle of the 1990s, the phrase "new media" became widely used as part of a sales pitch for ...
, and
mainstream media would not be subject to these regulations.
Foreign policy
Kucinich is a supporter of a
non-interventionist
Non-interventionism or non-intervention is a political philosophy or national foreign policy doctrine that opposes interference in the domestic politics and affairs of other countries but, in contrast to isolationism, is not necessarily opposed t ...
foreign policy and has called war a profitable racket.
Iraq War
Kucinich voted against the authorization of military force against
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
in 2002. He also voted consistently against funding the war.
In a visit to the rest of the Middle East in September 2007, Kucinich said he did not visit Iraq because "I feel the United States is engaging in an illegal occupation."
Military intervention in Libya
![Dennis Kucinich by Gage Skidmore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Dennis_Kucinich_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
Kucinich objected to the
2011 military intervention in Libya
On 19 March 2011, a multi-state NATO-led coalition began a military intervention in Libya, to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, in response to events during the First Libyan Civil War. With ten votes in favour and fiv ...
missile strikes and suggested they were impeachable offenses. He also asked why Democratic leaders didn't object when Obama told them of his plan for US participation in enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone. He said Obama's action in Libya was "a grave decision that cannot be made by the president alone", and that failing to first seek Congress's approval was unconstitutional.
[Liberal Democrats in uproar over Libya action](_blank)
''Politico
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
''; March 19, 2011
On August 31,
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
reported that a document had been found in the Libyan intelligence agency's headquarters that according to the author appeared to be a summary of a conversation between Kucinich and an intermediary for
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
Saif al-Islam Muammar al-Gaddafi ( ar, سيف الإسلام معمر القذافي; born 25 June 1972) is a Libyan political figure. He is the second son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his second wife Safia Farkash. He was a p ...
in which Kucinich asks for information about the anti-Gaddafi
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya ( ar, المجلس الوطني الإنتقالي '), sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, was the ''de facto'' government of Libya for a period during and after the Libyan Civil War ...
(NTC), possible links between it and al-Qaeda, and evidence of corruption, to lobby US lawmakers to put an end to NATO airstrikes and suspend their support for the NTC.
[Elshayyal, Jamal (August 31, 2011). ]
Secret files: US officials aided Gaddafi.
' Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
. Accessed August 31, 2011 It also listed information necessary to defend al-Islam against
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals f ...
war crimes charges.
[ Kucinich defended himself in a message to '']The Atlantic Wire
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', saying that the document was simply a summary of Kucinich's public positions on the Libyan campaign by a Libyan bureaucrat who never consulted Kucinich. "Al Jazeera found a document written by a Libyan bureaucrat to other Libyan bureaucrats. All it proves is that the Libyans were reading ''The Washington Post''... Any implication I was doing anything other than trying to bring an end to an unauthorized war is fiction."[
In March 2011, Kucinich criticized the Obama administration's decision to participate in the UN intervention in Libya without Congressional authorization. He also called it an "indisputable fact" that Obama's decision was an impeachable offense since he believes the ]U.S. Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...
"does not provide for the president to wage war any times he pleases", but he did not introduce a resolution to impeach Obama. In response, Libyan officials invited Kucinich to visit that country on a "peace mission", but he declined, saying that he "could not negotiate on behalf of the administration."
Syria and Bashar al-Assad
Kucinich was criticized for his visit to Syria in 2007 and praise of President Bashar al-Assad on Syrian national TV. He praised Syria for taking in Iraqi refugees. "What most people are not aware of is that Syria has taken in more than 1.5 million Iraqi refugees," Kucinich said. "The Syrian government has actually shown a lot of compassion in keeping its doors open, and being a host for so many refugees."
Kucinich has met with Assad on several occasions. He has supported Assad, citing him as a lesser evil in the Syrian Civil War. Asked by Tucker Carlson how he could defend a war criminal, Kucinich said the choice was to let ISIS take over Syria or "try to stabilize the region and let the people of Syria make their own decisions about who their leaders are going to be". He helped Fox News get an interview with Assad.
In October 2016, Kucinich warned against a prospective United States military intervention against Russia in Syria. He argued that "a concerted effort is being made through fearmongering, propaganda, and lies to prepare our country for a dangerous confrontation, with Russia in Syria" and said that Russia was being demonized as part of a "calculated plan to resurrect a raison d'être
Raison d'être is a French expression commonly used in English, meaning "reason for being" or "reason to be".
Raison d'être may refer to:
Music
* Raison d'être (band), a Swedish dark-ambient-industrial-drone music project
* ''Raison D'être' ...
for stone-cold warriors trying to escape from the dustbin of history by evoking the specter of Russian world domination."
Guns
Kucinich is graded "F" by the National Rifle Association, indicating a pro- gun control voting record. He also received a 100% lifetime rating from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Health care
Kucinich believes that health care is a "right in a democratic society". He is a critic of the for-profit health insurance and pharmaceutical
A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field an ...
industries, and is concerned about the large number of uninsured and underinsured in the United States. He contends that if the for-profit insurance system's overhead, such as "stock options, executive salaries, ndadvertising", were used for medically necessary care, there would be enough money in the system to cover everyone at no extra cost.
In July 2009, the House Education and Labor Committee approved an amendment by Kucinich to its version of the unsuccessful America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009
The proposed America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 () was an unsuccessful bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 14, 2009. The bill was introduced during the first session of the 111th Congress as part of an eff ...
by a vote of 27-19, with 14 Democrats and 13 Republicans voting for it. The amendment empowers the Secretary of Health and Human Services
The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...
to waive the federal law that preempts state law on employee-related health care, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) (, codified in part at ) is a U.S. federal tax and labor law that establishes minimum standards for pension plans in private industry. It contains rules on the federal income tax e ...
, in response to state requests. It has been speculated that the amendment's bipartisan support was for its appeal to states' rights
In American political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments rather than the federal government according to the United States Constitution, reflecting especially the enumerated powers of Congress and the ...
in supporting progressive legislation. In the past, states attempting to enact single-payer reforms had been sued and stopped under ERISA. It has also been speculated that the law would open up vital new avenues for promoting and implementing a single-payer system, as newly unbound states would show single-payer's success, just as Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
did for Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. But the Kucinich Amendment was stripped from the merged House bill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that it would have violated Obama's promise that Americans who liked their health insurance could keep it.
In March 2010, Kucinich announced that he supported the Affordable Care Act, after previously indicating opposition.
LGBT rights
Kucinich supports same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
. He voted for the expansion of hate crime laws in the United States
Hate crime laws in the United States are state and federal laws intended to protect against hate crimes (also known as bias crimes). Although state laws vary, current statutes permit federal prosecution of hate crimes committed on the basis of a p ...
and against banning LGBT adoption
Same-sex adoption is the adoption of children by same-sex couples. It may take the form of a joint adoption by the couple, or of the adoption by one partner of the other's biological child (stepchild adoption).
Joint adoption by same-sex coup ...
in Washington, D.C.
Trade
Kucinich has consistently opposed free trade
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...
, claiming that it costs American jobs and enables abusive working conditions in other countries.
Youth rights
In a Democratic debate during the 2008 Presidential Election, Kucinich and Mike Gravel
Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel ( ; May 13, 1930 – June 26, 2021) was an American politician and writer who served as a United States Senator from Alaska from 1969 to 1981 as a member of the Democratic Party, and who later in life twice ran for ...
were the only two candidates to favor lowering the legal drinking age
The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum age alcohol can be legally consumed can be different from the age when it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary between ...
to 18. Kucinich also supported lowering the voting age
A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain before they become eligible to vote in a public election. The most common voting age is 18 years; however, voting ages as low as 16 and as high as 25 currently exist
( ...
to 16.
Electoral history
Recognition
In 2003, Kucinich received the Gandhi Peace Award, an annual award bestowed by the Religious Society of Friends
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
-affiliated organization Promoting Enduring Peace
Promoting Enduring Peace (PEP or PEPeace) is an American peace advocacy organization based in Connecticut. It is sometimes referred to as ''PeaceNews.org'', the name of its website.
PEP was founded in 1952 by Dr. Jerome Davis. Its original purp ...
. In 2010, he was awarded the US Peace Prize
The US Peace Prize is an annual award that recognizes individuals and organizations who make significant antiwar contributions. The award's first recipient was Cindy Sheehan in 2009. The mission of the prize is "to inspire other Americans to speak ...
by the US Peace Memorial Foundation “in recognition of his national leadership to prevent and end wars.”
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."
Personal life
Kucinich was baptize
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
d a Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
. He married Sandra Lee McCarthy in 1977; they had a daughter, Jackie, in 1981 and divorced in 1986. He married his third wife, British citizen
British nationality law prescribes the conditions under which a person is recognised as being a national of the United Kingdom. The six different classes of British nationality each have varying degrees of civil and political rights, due to the ...
Elizabeth Harper, on August 21, 2005. They met while Harper was working as an assistant for the Chicago-based American Monetary Institute
{{Notability, date=April 2022
The American Monetary Institute is a non-profit charitable trust established by Stephen Zarlenga in 1996 for the "independent study of monetary history, theory and reform."
Aims
The institute is dedicated to moneta ...
, which brought her to Kucinich's House of Representatives office for a meeting. Kucinich, a vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...
since 1995, is an advocate of veganism, like Elizabeth.
Kucinich was raised with four brothers and two sisters. Perry Kucinich, the youngest brother, died in December 2007. His youngest sister, Beth Ann Kucinich, died in November 2008.
In 2011, Kucinich sued a Capitol Hill cafeteria for damages after a 2008 incident in which he claimed to have suffered a severe injury when he bit into a sandwich and broke a tooth on an olive pit. The broken tooth became infected, and complications led to three surgeries for dental work. The lawsuit, for $150,000 in punitive damages, was settled with the defendant agreeing to pay Kucinich's costs.
Bibliography
* The Courage To Survive
* A Prayer for America
* The Division Of Light And Power (June 2021)
See also
* Kucinich Resolution
* List of animal rights advocates
* List of peace activists
This list of peace activists includes people who have proactively advocated diplomatic, philosophical, and non-military resolution of major territorial or ideological disputes through nonviolent means and methods. Peace activists usually work ...
References
External links
Re-Elect Congressman Kucinich
''official campaign site''
*
*
Column archive
at ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''
The Peace Alliance
*
Dennis Kucinich
Interview at PR.com, November 17, 2008
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kucinich, Dennis
1946 births
Living people
20th-century American politicians
20th-century Roman Catholics
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American politicians
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Anti-corporate activists
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Left-wing populism in the United States
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Non-interventionism
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Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 2nd Class
Writers from Ohio
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