JULIE CARR SMYTH
Associated Press
March 5, 2008
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| After sensing early that Joe Cimperman was a formidable opponent, Kucinich abandoned his presidential campaign on Jan. 25. | |
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dennis Kucinich, the liberal Ohio politician who has made two failed White House campaigns, won the Democratic primary in his battle to keep his seat.
Kucinich faced the toughest, best-financed challenger in his 12-year congressional career.
Although the presidential primary commanded most of the nation’s attention, Kucinich’s race Tuesday was the best-known congressional contest on ballots in Ohio and Texas.
For years, the 61-year-old Kucinich has won re-election by margins of up to 75 percent in a reliably Democratic district.
But after sensing early that Joe Cimperman was a formidable opponent, Kucinich abandoned his presidential campaign on Jan. 25.
Cimperman, a Cleveland City Council member and former Kucinich admirer, raised nearly $500,000 and landed endorsements from the mayor and the city’s newspaper.
“Mr. Kucinich is not a congressman. He’s a showman,” said Cimperman, 37, who has belittled Kucinich’s Hollywood connections and criticized congressional votes Kucinich missed during his presidential campaigns.
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