It has been 40 years since Dennis Kucinich completed his term as mayor of Cleveland, Ohio in 1979. Kucinich, who had been tagged as the “boy mayor” given his age and youthful appearance when mayor, went on to later hold elected office in the Cleveland city council from 1983 to 1985, the Ohio state senate from 1995 to 1997, and the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2013, all as a Cleveland Democrat.
Next year, we may see Kucinich again run to be Cleveland’s mayor. Former long-time Cleveland Plain Dealer Editorial Director Brent Larkin wrote Friday at cleveland.com that Kucinich has lately been out in Cleveland taking actions consistent with someone considering running for mayor and that several people “familiar with Kucinich’s thinking” are saying Kucinich is likely to run.
“Anyone who dismisses the notion of Kucinich being a serious contender for the Cleveland mayor’s job understands neither Cleveland nor its politics,” writes Larkin. The potential strength of a Kucinich campaign, Larkin argues, is supported by his run two years back to be Ohio’s governor. While Kucinich came in a distant second place in the Democratic primary, Larkin notes that Kucinich received the most votes in Cleveland.
Winning the Democratic primary may be the biggest hurdle to jump on the way to success in the general election. The last three mayors of Cleveland, going back to 1990, have all been Democrats.
Kucinich is a member of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity’s Advisory Board.
