Two months ago, ex-Rep. Dennis Kucinich did not rule out a Democratic primary bid for governor, and unfortunately, he seems more interested than ever. While Kucinich is still deflecting questions about his 2018 plans by saying he’s “not going to get into that — politics,” he’s begun holding events around Ohio railing against for-profit charter schools and the GOP-led state legislature.
As we’ve said before, while Kucinich portrays himself as a progressive hero, he's emerged as a Trump defender in recent months. Kucinich, who has been a Fox commentator for years, praised Trump's inauguration speech (you know, the "American carnage" one), and argued that U.S. intelligence agencies forced Michael Flynn to resign as Trump's national security advisor. Kucinich has also repeatedly met with and defended Syria's murderous dictator Bashar al-Assad.
If Kucinich runs for governor, he’ll enter a crowded Democratic primary. Ex-Rep. Betty Sutton, ex-state Rep. Connie Pillich, and state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, who recently stepped down as minority leader to focus on his campaign, are already in, while Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley sounds very interested and a few other potential candidates are considering.
Kucinich himself may not have much support at home if he gets in: In 2012, Kucinich and fellow Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur were drawn into the same congressional district, and Kaptur won the primary by a convincing 56-40 margin. (Before Kucinich ended up running for re-election that year, he openly flirted with running for the House in Washington or Maine instead.) But anything can happen in a crowded race, and it’s possible for Kucinich to ride his Cleveland-area base to a plurality win.