According to the Buckeye State Blog, Presidential candidate and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich is set to face a major new primary opponent for his Cleveland-based House seat:
Dean DePiero, Mayor of Parma – Ohio’s seventh largest city with 80,000 residents – is tossing his hat into the Primary carnival to take out Democratic Congressman and presidential wannabe Dennis Kucinich. While BSB followed up on rumors of Dean’s interest back in May, nothing ever came of it. Until now.Over the weekend I spoke with two reliable sources. One source confirmed that he had spoken with Dean directly, and Dean claimed to be committed to the race. Another source confirmed that throughout the summer (notably August) DePiero had been busy cultivating donors. Also, I’ve heard multiple whispers that a poll may’ve been commissioned already, but I don’t have further info there.
I have no details on kick off, entrance, official word from Dean or any of that. Calls placed to DePiero’s campaign office on Wednesday have gone unreturned. However, I repeat, one of my sources spoke with DePiero directly, and Dean claimed he was in the race.
DePiero, a former state representative and Ohio House Minority Leader, would offer Kucinich his stiffest challenge yet, forcing the candidate to spend less time on the Presidential trail and more time in his own district. This could have huge implications on the local and national level.
Check out the Buckeye State Blog for more analysis and details.
It seems to me that Kucinich would be well-past done on the national campaign trail with more than enough time to campaign for the primary, if the primary is anytime after April.
Kucinich presidential run likely will end in time for him to refocus on the House primary, but that may not make a difference. Have seen polls that the Democrats in the district are simply fed up with his inattention to the district caused by his Don Quixote like fascination with running for the White House.
I suspect he is in very real trouble and might well be taken out in the primary, and it is entirely self inflicted. The district Democrats don’t have policy issues with him per say, it is effectiveness issues. They feel abandoned by him on Capitol Hill and they have had enough. Should he survive the primary somehow he should be fine against which ever sacrificial lamb the GOP throws at him.
Won’t shed crocodile tears for him if he is defeated either as he really is not very effective, and his merging of Catholicism with New Age spiritual beliefs really does make him one odd bird so to speak.
Did I go to sleep and miss Dennis Kucinich being relevant to anything?
Good riddance, for heaven’s sake. The man is a laughingstock and Cleveland ought to be embarrassed.
… these primary challenger seem intent on purging the House of its progressives. First Cynthia McKinney, now Dennis Kucinich. So many complain that the Democrats don’t do enough to challenge Bush, but those voices that have the courage to do so get the message that they are “crazy”… that they are “embarassments”; no wonder Nancy Pelosi “took impeachment off the table”.
I just wish the people backing these primary challengers would turn their focus on primary-ing out the most conservative Dems in the House, not to mention the Senate. For all the grass and netroots effort put into Ned Lamont’s primary challenge in CT-SEN, Lieberman is still the Senate (and probably will be till 2012), something that won’t be able to be said about Dennis Kucinich in the House if efforts like DePiero’s succeed.
Meanwhile, Dianne Feinstein has gone without ever having gotten a serious primary challenge, even as she has voted for the war, CAFTA, every version of the Patriot Act since 2001 onward, and voted to send the judicial nomination of Southwick out of committee to the Senate floor; and that’s only the tip of the iceberg of Republican-lite votes she’s cast, after being reelected time and again from a state as blue as California.
Memo to these primary challengers — perhaps it would be smart to purge the Congress of the Bush enablers before going after the progressives, even if said progressives don’t always meet certain people’s definition of charisma.
Cleveland can do a lot better than that left-wingnut Kucinich. He is a disgrace to the DEM party and every time I see him, I consider becoming an independent.
I can only hope that Mr. Kucinich goes into a lovely and quiet retirement, far away from politics!