2008 Presidential Election Coverage

 GOGO POLITICS

Dennis Kucinich

In 1996, Kucinich was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 10th district of Ohio. He defeated two-term Republican incumbent Martin Hoke in what is still regarded as an upset given the 10th's historic Republican lean; however, he has not faced serious opposition since.

He serves on the Congressional Education and Labor Committee as well as the Government Reform Committee. He is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and is a self-described "Wellstone Democrat."

Kucinich voted against the USA PATRIOT Act. His voting record is not always in line with that of the Democratic Party. He voted for the resolution calling for an investigation into President Bill Clinton's role in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, while most of his party opposed this resolution.

Kucinich has criticized the foreign policy of President Bush, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq and what Kucinich perceives to be building American hostility towards Iran. In 2005, Kucinich voted against the Iran Freedom and Support Act, calling it a "stepping stone to war."  He has since criticized the flag-burning amendment and voted against the impeachment of President Clinton. His congressional voting record has also leaned toward a pro-life stance, although he noted that he has never supported a constitutional amendment prohibiting abortion altogether. In 2003, however, he began describing himself as pro-choice and said he had shifted away from his earlier position on the issue.  Press releases have indicated that he is pro-choice but also wants to initiate a series of reforms, such as ending the "abstinence-only" policy of sex education and increasing the use of contraception in hopes of making abortion "less necessary" over time.

He has criticized Diebold Election Systems, and posted internal company memos on his website.^[14] Kucinich has also been a strong opponent of space based weapons and has sponsored legislation, HR 2977, banning the deployment and use of space based weapons.

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