Former Democratic Congressman and Cleveland Mayor Dennis Kucinich announced on Monday that he submitted enough signatures to qualify for the ballot as an independent candidate in Ohio’s seventh congressional district.
In a post on his campaign website, Kucinich stated that he filed over 6,000 signatures in an effort to qualify for the ballot as an independent candidate in Ohio’s seventh congressional district. Kucinich previously served eight terms in Congress as a Democrat representing Ohio’s tenth congressional district, winning election in 1996. Before that, he was involved in Cleveland politics, serving as a member of the city council and eventually mayor in the’70s.
“My loyalty is to America, our people and our Constitution, not to a political party,” Kucinich wrote on his blog. “I am, therefore, thrilled to announce that I filed over 6,000 signature petitions to the Board of Elections to officially become an Independent candidate for Congress in Ohio’s 7th District.”
According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, the exact number of signatures that Kucinich had to file as an independent candidate for Congress varied depending on how many voters in Ohio’s seventh congressional district participated in the most recent gubernatorial election, with the total equaling one percent of that amount.
Throughout the post, Kucinich discusses the importance of having an independent member within Congress. He also outlines several specific campaign priorities, including addressing economic challenges faced by American families, rebuilding strategic industries, advocating for peace, and safeguarding constitutional freedoms. Additionally, Kucinich voices concerns about the erosion of constitutional rights, particularly regarding free speech, privacy, and sovereignty.
Delighted to hear this! I hope we’ll hear a lot about the issues Kucinich proposes — including, I also hope, the NEED Act he proposed when he was in Congress before.