That Washington
Congressman Kucinich?
Although he said last month he does not plan to move from Ohio to Washington State after his ouster from Congress last week, some pro-Kucinich activists are hoping to change his mind. They've put together a Facebook page, a online petition
, and a web site called "Washington Citizens for Kucinich." Kucinich spent much of the last year fueling speculation, based on the premise that he would be redistricted from his existing Congressional district in Ohio, that he would move here and run for a seat in Western Washington.
David Spring, the Snoqualmie Valley school activist and a candidate for the 5th District seat currently held by Republican Glenn Anderson, says he started the site hoping to "give [Kucinich] more options." Specifically, he says, "there are seven Congressional Districts in Washington State which do not have a Democratic incumbent. Some of these Congressional Districts do not even have a viable Democratic challenger – or even someone who has run for office before.
Although the group has not reached out to Kucinich directly, Spring says, "Dennis has made some statements in the press both last year and this year that he is considering all options."
Last year, state Democratic Party chair Dwight Pelz spoke unfavorably of a potential Kucinich run, declaring himself "alarmed at the spoiler role Rep. Kucinich could play should he run for office in Washington, such as in the 1st or the new 10th CD." He concluded with, "As Drew Carey would say, ‘Cleveland Rocks.’ Stay there, Dennis."
Spring says he isn't concerned about what the official Democratic Party apparatus thinks about efforts to draft Kucinich.
"We understand [Pelz's] interest in protecting the status quo. However, it is not up to Dwight," Spring says. "It is up to Dennis to decide what he wants to do. ... Democracy is about allowing the voters to make the choice and not restricting those choices to the preferences of party insiders and power brokers. Pelz says he has no knowledge of the draft-Dennis effort.
It's unclear how many signatures the petition has.
We have a call out to Kucinich's campaign to find out if he's aware of the draft effort and whether he would re-consider running in Washington State.
David Spring, the Snoqualmie Valley school activist and a candidate for the 5th District seat currently held by Republican Glenn Anderson, says he started the site hoping to "give [Kucinich] more options." Specifically, he says, "there are seven Congressional Districts in Washington State which do not have a Democratic incumbent. Some of these Congressional Districts do not even have a viable Democratic challenger – or even someone who has run for office before.
Although the group has not reached out to Kucinich directly, Spring says, "Dennis has made some statements in the press both last year and this year that he is considering all options."
Last year, state Democratic Party chair Dwight Pelz spoke unfavorably of a potential Kucinich run, declaring himself "alarmed at the spoiler role Rep. Kucinich could play should he run for office in Washington, such as in the 1st or the new 10th CD." He concluded with, "As Drew Carey would say, ‘Cleveland Rocks.’ Stay there, Dennis."
Spring says he isn't concerned about what the official Democratic Party apparatus thinks about efforts to draft Kucinich.
"We understand [Pelz's] interest in protecting the status quo. However, it is not up to Dwight," Spring says. "It is up to Dennis to decide what he wants to do. ... Democracy is about allowing the voters to make the choice and not restricting those choices to the preferences of party insiders and power brokers. Pelz says he has no knowledge of the draft-Dennis effort.
It's unclear how many signatures the petition has.
We have a call out to Kucinich's campaign to find out if he's aware of the draft effort and whether he would re-consider running in Washington State.
