US Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is hands down one of my five favorite politicians. Always has been, although I’m puzzled about why he remains a Democrat. His home state of Ohio is losing two seats in the US House of Representatives and his district will likely be eliminated in the state’s redistricting.
After seven terms, Kucinich would almost certainly be out of a job.
Not to be deterred, Kucinich is considering running for the US Congress from Washington State next year. Washington is gaining a seat in the US House of Representatives and Dennis the Menace’s two presidential campaigns have done exceedingly well in Washington.
This kind of district hopping is somewhat common—on a local level—with the redistricting that comes after each census. But it’s rare for politicians to make this kind of a relocation to remain in office. Carl Hulse, writing for the New York Times, reports that more than 40 years ago Texas Republican Ed Foreman lost re-election and then won a single term in New Mexico.
While the Washington electorate seems to be welcoming Kucinich, the party regulars are not impressed. “Washingtonians are not going to be receptive to a sitting congressman from Ohio filing for office in our state,” Democratic party chair Dwight Pelz tells Hulse.
Should political candidates be homegrown? Seattle is much, much different than Cleveland with just as different political needs. Can a rust-belt politico adequately represent suburban ecotopia? Who knows. It’s going to be interesting to see how Kucinich’s fundraising changes should he make the move to Washington. His top five contributors since 1996 have been the Machinists/Aerospace Workers union, United Steelworkers, United Auto Workers, United Food & Commercial Workers Union, and the Teamsters Union. Hulse reports that when a woman asked Kucinich just that during his Washington exploration, he replied, “Where people live is always interesting. Where they stand is quite instructive.”
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