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Dennis KucinichDennis Kucinich has been a democratic member of the House of Representatives for the State of Ohio since 1996. Before running for the House of Representatives, he was a member of the Cleveland City Council and mayor of Cleveland from 1977-1979. Kucinich was born and raised in Cleveland Ohio, one of 7 children. He says he got his street smarts from his father, who was a truck driver, and from growing up in a rough area of Cleveland. As a child Kucinich dreamed of being mayor of Cleveland. He was elected to City Council at the age of 23, and his dream was fulfilled when he was elected mayor in 1977. He was only 31 years old, and was nicknamed the "boy mayor" of Cleveland. During his campaign he promised to cancel the sale of the municipal power company to a private utility. He kept his promise, even though a group of private banks threatened not to renew the city's credit if he refused to go through with the sale. He was convinced that the sale would lead to higher rates and particularly burden low-income homeowners. He refused, and the city was bankrupted overnight. Kucinich barely survived a recall election, and was defeated in a landslide election just two years after he first took office. The incident made him a political outcast, and it was several years before he could even win a seat on the city council again. In the 1990s, he was embraced by Cleveland as a hero when it was revealed that his refusal to sell the utility had saved the city hundreds of millions of dollars. In 1994 he was elected to the Ohio Senate. Two years later, he easily won election to the House of Representatives and has served continuously since 1996. He has been a popular and colorful political figure and is known as a watchdog and outspoken critic of U.S. foreign policy. He has run for President twice, in 2004 and 2008. He is currently the chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He's also on the Education and Labor Committee. Dennis Kucinich has been vegan since 1995. He advocates health education and stricter animal rights laws. He is also concerned about the environmental and economic impact of the meat and dairy industry. Kucinich Positions on Election IssuesDennis Kucinich On Health EducationKucinich on the O'Reilly Factor 11/2008Websites
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