Dennis John Kucinich (; born October 8, 1946) is an American politician. A U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1997 to 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2004 and 2008. He ran for governor of Ohio in the 2018 election, losing in the primary to Richard Cordray. From 1977 to 1979, Kucinich served as the 53rd mayor of Cleveland, a tumultuous term in which he survived a recall election and was successful in a battle against selling the municipal electric utility before being defeated for reelection by George Voinovich. Due to redistricting following the 2010 state elections, Ohio's 10th congressional district was redrawn in southern Ohio. Kucinich faced Representative Marcy Kaptur in the 2012 race for the U.S. House, Ohio's 9th congressional district having absorbed part of Cuyahoga County. Kaptur defeated Kucinich. In January 2013, he became a contributor on the Fox News Channel appearing on programs such as The O'Reilly Factor. Kucinich was also an unsuccessful primary candidate in the 2021 Cleveland mayoral election. Early life and education Kucinich was born in Cleveland's West Side Tremont neighborhood, the oldest of the seven children of Virginia (née Norris) and Frank J. Kucinich. His father, who was of Croat ancestry, worked as a truck driver and was a member of the Teamsters for 35 years; his Irish American mother was a homemaker. Growing up, his family moved 21 times and Dennis was often charged with the responsibility of finding apartments they could afford. Kucinich graduated from St. John Cantius High School in 1965. He attended Cleveland State University from 1967 to 1970. In 1973, he graduated from Case Western Reserve University with both a Bachelor and a Master of Arts degree in speech and communication. Early political career Kucinich's political career began in 1967 when he ran unsuccessfully for office. In 1969, he was elected to the Cleveland City Council at the age of 23. In 1972, Kucinich ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, losing narrowly to incumbent Republican William E. Minshall Jr. After Minshall's retirement in 1974 Kucinich sought the seat again, this time failing to get the Democratic nomination, which went to Ronald M. Mottl. Kucinich ran as an Independent candidate in the general election, placing third with about 30% of the vote. In 1975, Kucinich became clerk of the municipal court in Cleveland and served in that