Dennis John Kucinich (IPA2: kuˈsɪnɪtʃ) (born October 81946) is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 elections.

Kucinich currently represents the 10th District of Ohio in the House of Representatives, which he has been serving since 1996. His district includes most of western Cleveland as well as suburbs such as Parma and Lakewood. He is currently the chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He is also a member of the Education and Labor Committee.

From 1977 to 1979, Kucinich served as the 53rd mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, a tumultuous term in which he survived a recall election and was successful in a battle against selling the municipal electric utility before being defeated for reelection by George Voinovich.

Personal life

He attended Cleveland State University from 1967 to 1970."Presidency 2004 DENNIS J. KUCINICH (Democrat - Ohio)."Politics1 — Profile of Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). Politics1.com. July 252007 http://www.politics1.com/kucinich.htm In 1973, he graduated from Case Western Reserve University with both a Bachelor of Arts and an Master of Arts (postgraduate) degrees in speech and communication. "About Dennis." Congressman Dennis Kucinich. July 252007 http://kucinich.house.gov/Biography/ Kucinich was baptized a Roman Catholic. He is twice divorced, with a daughter, Jackie, from his marriage to Sandra Lee McCarthy. He married his third wife, Elizabeth Harper, a British citizen, on August 212005. The two met while Harper was working as an assistant for the Chicago-based American Monetary Institute, which brought her to Kucinich's House of Representatives office for a meeting. She is 31 years younger than Kucinich.

On December 192007, his youngest brother, Perry Kucinich, was found dead in his home.

Recognition

In 2003, Kucinich was the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award, an annual award bestowed by the Religious Society of Friends-affiliated organization Promoting Enduring Peace.

Early career

Kucinich's political career began early. After running unsuccessfully in 1967, Kucinich was elected to the Cleveland City Council in 1969 at the age of twenty-three. In 1972, Kucinich ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives, losing narrowly to incumbent Republican William E. Minshall, Jr. After Minshall's retirement in 1974 Kucinich sought the seat again, this time failing to get the Democratic nomination, which instead went to Ronald M. Mottl. Kucinich ran as an Independent candidate in the general election, placing third with about 30% of the vote. In 1975, Kucinich became clerk of the municipal court in Cleveland and served in that position for two years.