Kucinich, << kuh SIHN ihch, >> Dennis John (1946-…), an American politician, has represented Ohio in the United States House of Representatives since 1997. Kucinich, a liberal Democrat, ran unsuccessful campaigns for his party’s presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.
Kucinich was born in Cleveland on Oct. 8, 1946. He enrolled at Cleveland State University in 1967 and transferred to Case Western Reserve University in 1970. He graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in speech and communications.
Kucinich won a seat on the Cleveland City Council in 1970 and served until 1975. He was elected clerk of the Cleveland Municipal Court in 1976. In 1977, Kucinich, at the age of 31, won election as mayor of Cleveland. At the time, he was the youngest person ever to be elected mayor of a major U.S. city. However, the city faced a major budget crisis during his term, and he lost a reelection bid in 1979. Kucinich was again elected to the Cleveland City Council in 1981. He served until 1982, when he lost a bid to become Ohio’s secretary of state. From the mid-1980’s to the mid-1990’s, Kucinich worked in a number of jobs, including communications consultant, television reporter, and lecturer. He won election to the Ohio State Senate in 1994 and served until 1996. In 1997, Kucinich first won election to the U.S. House, representing Ohio’s 10th district.
In the House, Kucinich became known as a supporter of worker and minority rights. He supported efforts to create a national health care system and a universal preschool program. He also sought to abolish the death penalty and repeal the Patriot Act, a law that expanded the powers of law enforcement in an attempt to fight terrorism.
Kucinich twice sued President George W. Bush in unsuccessful attempts to prevent the president from withdrawing from a missile treaty and from invading Iraq in 2003. Kucinich’s opposition to the Iraq War became a centerpiece of his campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination. Kucinich’s book A Prayer for America (2003) details his political philosophy.
In March 2012, Kucinich lost a Democratic primary battle with fellow U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur. Ohio had lost two seats in Congress as a result of the 2010 census. Ohio’s Republican-controlled legislature redrew the boundaries of the state’s 9th District, merging much of Kucinich’s previous district with Kaptur’s. In May 2018, Kucinich lost a primary election for the 2018 Democratic nomination for Ohio governor.
