Kucinich to Drop Out of the Presidential Race

Posted by Jason Easley on 01.24.2008

A looming primary fight forces Kucinich to focus on his district.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich said in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer today that he will be withdrawing from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Friday. "I will be announcing that I'm transitioning out of the presidential campaign. I'm making that announcement tomorrow about a new direction." The new direction that he is talking about is his reelection campaign. "I want to continue to serve in Congress," he said

Kucinich also discussed coming to the realization that he was not going to win the Democratic nomination. "If anyone has watched the debates, they have been able to see that I've been able to do more than hold my own," he said. "I've been able to represent the aspirations of people in this community, and communities like it across the country on health care, peace, for jobs. There is a point at which you just realize that you look, you accept it, that it isn't going to happen and you move on."

Kucinich is facing four challengers in the Democratic primary for his seat on March 4. Chief among them is his rival Joe Cimperman who came out with the hard hitting ad below that claims that Kucinich's national activities have made him a part time Congressman.



It was smart for Kucinich to pull the plug now. By staying in the race, he would have jeopardized his seat in the House, so it makes no sense for him to stay in. I think Dennis lent an air of liberal authenticity to the Democratic debates, but the truth is that he is too far to the left to ever get the support of the party establishment. The people of his district elected him to represent them not run for president. If he could win, the personal gamble would be worth it, but he can't, so it is time to focus on what is really important. Good luck with your reelection bid Dennis Kucinich. You made watching some terrible debates more fun.