Dennis Kucinich biography

Synopsis

Profile

United States Representative, Democrat, Ohio. Born Dennis John Kucinich on October 8, 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio. He is eldest of seven children by parents Frank and Virginia Kucinich.

Kucinich first ventured into politics while still a student at Cleveland State University, winning a seat on the Cleveland city council in 1969. In 1973, Kucinich received a master's degree in communications from Ohio's Case Western Reserve University.

In 1977, Kucinich became the youngest mayor in Cleveland, Ohio history. In addition to being Mayor of Cleveland, Dennis Kucinich has served as a Council Member for the City of Cleveland (1970-75, 1981-82), as the Clerk of Courts for the Cleveland Municipal Court (1976-77) and as an Ohio State Senator (1994-96).

In 1996, Kucinich was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. As a congressman, Kucinich has been a progressive proponent of environmental initiatives, sustainability practices, human rights issues and the social and economic interests of his Ohio constituents, including the troubled steel industry. In 2001-2003 Kucinich was Chairman, and later Co-Chairman (2004), of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Dennis Kucinich is known for his idealism, activism and indefatigable spirit. In 2003, Kucinich began his campaign for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination with a platform largely dominated by human rights and environmental initiatives. In his campaign for the 2008 presidential nomination, he called for universal healthcare and an immediate withdraw from Iraq.

In 2007 and 2008, Kucinich introduced impeachment articles for Vice President Dick Cheney and President Bush respectively, charging them with the manipulation of evidence of Iraq's weapon's program and deceiving the country about Iraq's connection to al-Qaeda.

Kucinich is the chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He is also a member of the Education and Labor Committee. In November 2008, Dennis Kucinich was reelected to a seventh term in Congress.

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