Kucinich beat Sinagra in the middle of the "Gingrich Revolution"

[dpbrown]

Most seats were going the other way in 1994, when Kucinich ousted incumbent Republican Tony Sinagra, despite being outspent two-to-one.

In 1994, Kucinich challenged Republican Ohio State Sen. Anthony Sinagra for his 23rd district seat. The district was composed of Cleveland neighborhoods which had historically responded positively to Kucinich’s blend of progressive populism and the election quickly became a lively and spirited race, with Kucinich leveraging the strength of the expansion of the city's publicly-owned light system which he had protected from privatization, and which even today provides low-cost power to almost half the residents of Cleveland. Although he was outspent by his Republican rival 2 to 1, Kucinich emerged as the victor.

In January 1996 he entered the Democratic primary for Ohio’s 10th District seat in the House of Representatives. Thanks to his experience as mayor and recent victory over Sinagra, Kucinich had significant name-recognition among voters, and went on to challenge Republican Rep. Martin Hoke in the general election. Kucinich relied on a grassroots campaign with ties to lower- and middle-class communities in his campaign against the two-term representative. He received decisive support from environmental groups and labor unions, including the AFL-CIO, which poured more than $1million into ads against his opponent.

These are just two of the times Kucinich beat incumbent Republicans. He also took the Cleveland Mayor's job away from an incumbent Republican, becoming the youngest Mayor of a major U.S. city in the entire history of this nation.

In 1998 the Cleveland City Council honored him for, "having the courage and foresight to refuse to sell the city's municipal electric system." Kucinich was right then, and he's right now. That's why he beats Republicans.

And in 30 years of political experience Kucinich has never wavered in aggressively championing for the “little guy.” In his first term in the U.S. Congress, he emerged as a vocal critic of NAFTA. He has also opposed cuts in Social Security and healthcare and advocated for a patients bill of rights that would allow all patients their choice of doctors and specialists. Today, as chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (the largest congressional caucus), Kucinich has promoted a national health care system, preservation of Social Security, increased Unemployment Insurance benefits, and the establishment of wholesales cost-based rates for electricity, natural gas and home heating oil. When the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory arbitration could be a condition of employment, Kucinich introduced a bill to reverse the Court's decision.

Kucinich has been re-elected with increasing margins each time, and now pulls in 74% of the vote in his district. Kucinich opposes the death penalty, NAFTA, and the WTO, and champions single-payer universal health coverage, and empowering family farmers in moving into energy and food distribution.

People who try to discredit Kucinich's dramatic wins over incumbent Republicans by trying to credit the liberal nature of his district are missing the point.

Dennis wins because he's truly the soul of the progressive movement today. His wins over incumbent Republicans are proof of the depth of inspiration he fires up in others.

Fear Ends
Hope Begins
Kucinich 2004



https://www.kucinich.us/contribute.php

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[dsc]

1. Sinagra was an impressive win

Hoke was not. Hoke was a total fluke who only got into office due to the scandals of his opponents. Virtually any Democrat who wasn't tainted would have won that one.

[diamondsoul]

3. As would any Democrat who isn't tainted win over Bush. n/t

[dpbrown]

4. I agree Sinagra was the more impressive win

Most seats were going the other way in 1994.

And I think that taking the Mayor's office, although having to step outside the "establishment" to do it was also a very impressive feat for a very, very young man.

And the opportunity to beat Hoke came from beating Sinagra just a couple of years before, so it's impressive that he leveraged his success, whether Hoke was a fluke or not.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[no name no slogan]

7. God, 1994 was hell-acious

What an out and out shitty year that was. I was dating a conservative woman from MS at election time, and she was ecstatic over Trent Lott going into the Senate leadership. Needless to say, we broke up shortly afterward.

Of course by then I had all but written off the Dems after just two measly years of Clinton do-nothingness. NAFTA and his healthcare plan fiasco had done it for me. Add in the scandals that were happening in the House that year, and it was just plain UGLY for progressives of any sort.

I think it's VERY impressive that DK was able to beat a Republican in 1994, when everything was collapsing for the Dems, thanks to the, um, "leadership" of the DLC.

[dpbrown]

8. I've read anecdotally that Clinton urged Kucinich to run against Hoke

Of course, darn the luck, I've been unable to find the link again.

But I wouldn't be surprised.

DPB

[revcarol]

12. I remember the Contract On Americans......er...um...the Contract to

Destroy Us...the Assassination of Liberty???The whole thing was a steam roller against ordinary Americans.

Noticed Dennis then. A SHINING LIGHT IN THOSE YEARS OF DARKNESS..

Bush is trying to steam roller us again with his Contract on
Americans...TIME FOR THE SHINING LIGHT TO BE PRESIDENT!!

(He leaps over tall buildings in a single bound, as well as defeating Rebublicans handily. LOL)

[dpbrown]

13. Well, he does eat his spinach

With vegetable-fortified strength, he vanquishes incumbent Republicans with a single vote!

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[JohnKleeb]

2. but but hes unelectable, Thanks

good story Dan. I really think he is electable too.
Great guy,
I hope he does well in the days to come.

[Paulie]

5. Thanks Dan!

I'm itching to punch KUCINICH on March 16th! <--- Edit: This almost rhymes! :D

Can't make it to St. Paul from Chicagoland, I donated the gas money this morning. :)

I'll be waiting for the posts on the event!

[diamondsoul]

6. Of course!

It's the Koo-sin`-ITCH! LOL

[dpbrown]

9. March 16-ich

LOL...wish you could be here!

Hope we have good stories to tell!

DPB

[dpbrown]

10. Kucinich's record at beating Republicans should be a lesson for us

The candidate who will beat Bush will be the one who a) allays the fears, and b) instills the hopes.

The other "frontrunner" candidates only address (to the extent they address either), the first one.

A weak candidate on "hope" will stand a worse chance as against Bush, with the inertia of incumbency.

Therefore nominating a "hopeful" candidate will be important.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[dpbrown]

11. The nominee will beat Bush

But what's really weird is reading about all the fear and loathing being doled out over Nader.

Heck, nominate Dennis and you won't have to worry about Nader.

Or is it that people know in their hearts that Nader's 3 million votes in 2000 nearly matched Gore's take of 5 million from the "wish Gore were more conservative" independents?

Or is it that people know in their hearts that by consolidating its hold over the "left" Democrats would be in a much better position to fire up their "core" for the General Election?

There's no mistaking the fact that with Nader's voters in the bank, the Democratic nominee could afford to lose 2.5 million previous Gore voters and still beat Bush. No other candidate would be in that position other than Dennis.

But the media and the DLC have conspired to make this yet another nail-biting race focusing almost exclusively on people who can't make up their minds between Democrats and Republicans, even though those numbers barely match the number of people who would enthusiastically vote for a progressive populist.

The more we support Dennis, the more likely it will be that we'll be talking about issues that matter going into the General Election this summer.

Fear Ends
Hope Begins
Kucinich 2004

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[charlie]

14. "The more we support Dennis..."

That's why I won't relinquish my primary vote for anyone else. I always knew that while he could get the nomination, it would be an extraordinary longshot, so I'm not primed for disillusionment. Instead, I'm as pleased as hell because Kucinich won't give up.

What he's doing is a fine example of the sort of tenacity needed to influence the party's direction. He's endured dismissal and derision from punditry, media, and "mainstream" Democrats -- new age flake, fringe leftist, egotist (Rumsfeld's twin?!! Thanks, DLC) -- and kept motoring along, rallying people, collecting votes. And come the convention, he'll deliver a voice and headcount for concerns that would ordinarily have been diluted if he dropped out and his supporters coalesced behind the nominee. The Kucinich faction may be small, but in the end it won't be invisible. That's worth a lot as far as I'm concerned.

[dpbrown]

15. We won't be invisible

One thing I don't really understand (nor do I have much interest in understanding) is why people revile Nader when a) Gore beat Bush, and b) Democrats have a choice of someone like Dennis.

We won't be invisible, ever again. Nader's 3 million vote haul in 2000 nearly met Gore's take of 5 million from "conservative independents."

They're loud, they're brash, they're sometimes bullies - and they're worth barely the number of votes that Nader's votes in 2000 are worth - they are the "conservatives" who call themselves "centrists."

The nation is on the verge of a renaissance of progressive values, and Dennis is the embodiment of those values.

We're damn lucky to have someone like Dennis on our side.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[LWolf]

16. I know he can take Bush.

I've never doubted it.

Dennis is truly the soul of the progressive movement today. Those of ws who want to move in a progressive direction will vote for him.

That's me!

[dpbrown]

17. He's the best one to take on Bush

No Strings Attached.

'nuff said.

DPB