Dennis Kucinich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dennis Kucinich
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2010
|
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 10th district |
|
| In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2013 |
|
| Preceded by | Martin Hoke |
| Succeeded by | Marcy Kaptur (redistricting) |
| Member of the Ohio Senate from the 23rd district |
|
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 2, 1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Anthony Sinagra |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Sweeney |
| 53rd Mayor of Cleveland | |
| In office November 14, 1977 – November 6, 1979 |
|
| Preceded by | Ralph Perk |
| Succeeded by | George Voinovich |
| Member of the Cleveland City Council from Ward 12 |
|
| In office August 9, 1983 – December 31, 1985 |
|
| In office January 1, 1970 – December 31, 1973 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Dennis John Kucinich
October 8, 1946 Cleveland, Ohio, US |
| Political party | Independent (since 2024) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (until 2024) |
| Spouses |
Helen Kucinich
(divorced)Sandra Lee McCarthy
(m. 1977; div. 1986)Elizabeth Harper
(m. 2005) |
| Children | Jackie Kucinich |
| Education | Case Western Reserve University (BA, MA) |
Dennis John Kucinich (born October 8, 1946) is an American politician who has served in many different roles, including as a U.S. Representative for Ohio and as the Mayor of Cleveland.
For most of his career, Kucinich was a member of the Democratic Party. He was known for being one of the most liberal members of Congress. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2013. Before that, he was the mayor of Cleveland from 1977 to 1979. As mayor, he famously refused to sell the city's public electric company.
Kucinich ran for president in the Democratic primaries in 2004 and 2008. He was a strong opponent of the Iraq War, which gained him support from anti-war activists. After leaving Congress, he worked as a political commentator for the Fox News Channel. He has also run for governor of Ohio and mayor of Cleveland again. In 2024, he ran for Congress as an independent.
Contents
Early Life and Political Start
Dennis Kucinich was born in Cleveland, Ohio, as the oldest of seven children. His father was a truck driver and his mother was a homemaker. His family moved many times when he was young because they struggled with money. He graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a bachelor's and a master's degree.
Kucinich's political career started early. He was elected to the Cleveland City Council in 1969 when he was only 23 years old. He later tried to get elected to the U.S. House of Representatives but was not successful at first.
Mayor of Cleveland
.jpg)
In 1977, at age 31, Kucinich was elected mayor of Cleveland. This made him the youngest mayor of a major American city at the time, and people called him "the boy mayor." His time as mayor was known for being very challenging.
One of his biggest challenges was a fight over Cleveland's public electric company, called Municipal Light (now Cleveland Public Power). Kucinich refused to sell the company to a private business. This decision angered some powerful people, including local criminals who made threats against him.
Because he refused to sell the utility, a major bank demanded that the city pay back all its loans immediately. This caused the city to go into default, which means it couldn't pay its bills. However, years later, the Cleveland City Council honored Kucinich for his decision. They said his choice saved the city millions of dollars.
Return to Politics
After losing his re-election for mayor in 1979, Kucinich had a tough time. He moved away for a few years and struggled financially. He once reported an income of only $38 for an entire year. He said this experience helped him understand what people go through when they face difficulties.
He moved back to Cleveland and was elected to the city council again in 1983. In 1994, he won a seat in the Ohio State Senate.
U.S. House of Representatives
In 1996, Kucinich was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing a district in Ohio. He was re-elected seven times. In Congress, a representative's job is to help make laws for the country and represent the people from their district.
Kucinich served on several committees, including:
- Committee on Education and the Workforce
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
He was also the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of liberal members of Congress, from 1999 to 2003.
In 2008, Kucinich introduced articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush, arguing that the president had misled the country into the Iraq War. Impeachment is a process to charge a high-level official with a crime, but it is very rare. The articles did not pass.
Presidential Campaigns
Kucinich ran for president twice, hoping to become the Democratic Party's nominee.
2004 Campaign
In his 2004 campaign, Kucinich was a strong opponent of the Iraq War. He did not win any state primaries, but he stayed in the race for a long time. He wanted to make sure his ideas were heard and could influence the Democratic Party's platform. His best results were in Hawaii and Maine, where he received a good amount of support. He eventually endorsed the party's nominee, John Kerry.
2008 Campaign
Kucinich ran for president again in 2008. His main ideas included:
- Creating a single-payer healthcare system, where the government provides health insurance for everyone.
- Creating a "Department of Peace" to focus on non-violent solutions to conflicts.
- Impeaching Vice President Dick Cheney.
During a debate, Kucinich was asked about a book by his friend, actress Shirley MacLaine, where she wrote that he had seen a UFO. Kucinich confirmed that he had.
He did not get much support in the early primary states and dropped out of the race. He later endorsed Barack Obama after Obama became the nominee.
Later Career
After the 2010 census, the boundaries of congressional districts in Ohio were redrawn. Kucinich's district was combined with the district of another Democrat, Marcy Kaptur. He had to run against her in the 2012 primary election and lost. He left Congress in 2013.
After leaving office, Kucinich became a contributor on the Fox News Channel. He ran for governor of Ohio in 2018 and for mayor of Cleveland in 2021, but was not successful in the primary elections.
In 2023, he briefly served as the campaign manager for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign. In 2024, he ran for Congress again, this time as an independent, but finished in third place.
Key Political Positions
Kucinich was known for his strong liberal and progressive views.
- Foreign Policy: He believed in non-interventionism, which means he thought the U.S. should avoid getting involved in wars in other countries. He voted against the Iraq War and criticized U.S. military action in Libya.
- Health Care: He is a strong supporter of universal health care. He believes everyone has a right to health care and that a single-payer system is the best way to achieve it.
- Environment: He has a strong pro-environment voting record. As mayor of Cleveland, he supported the city's public power system and opposed new nuclear power plants.
- Civil Liberties: He opposed the USA PATRIOT Act, a law that gave the government more surveillance powers, because he felt it violated people's privacy.
- Trade: He often opposed free trade agreements, arguing that they cost American jobs.
Personal Life
Kucinich has been married three times. He has one daughter, Jackie, from his second marriage. In 2005, he married his third wife, Elizabeth Kucinich. Both Dennis and Elizabeth are vegans, which means they do not eat any animal products.
Images for kids
-
Kucinich as a State Senator
-
Kucinich gestures to the audience during his speech on the second day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.
-
Kucinich with President George W. Bush in 2002
-
Dennis Kucinich speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on February 27, 2015.
_(cropped).jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Dennis Kucinich para niños
- Kucinich Resolution
- List of peace activists
