Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich emailed supporters Monday with an unusual request: that they vote on whether or not the eight-term congressman should move to Washington state.
Kucinich lost a primary election against fellow Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in March after redistricting combined their districts. Last year, when redistricting appeared poised to eliminate his district, Kucinich flirted with the idea of moving to Washington to run for an open seat there.
As a result of the 2010 census, Ohio lost two congressional seats and Washington added one. In Washington, there are three open seats this cycle without an incumbent seeking re-election. Nonetheless, local Democrats are already coalescing behind candidates who have officially declared campaigns in the state.
“I have just received this communication from Washington Citizens for Kucinich which asks that I consider running for Congress in Washington State,” said Kucinich’s email. “This week, while I was speaking in Seattle, the question came up in two television interviews: KCPQ-TVand KING-TV. I cannot approach consideration of such an unprecedented step without seeking advice from you, my friends in Washington State, whose help and generosity have enabled me to serve in the US Congress from Ohio.”
Kucinich directed supporters to “Please click on this link, enter your email address and zip code, and then vote.”
The anti-war congressman and two-time presidential candidate said that he would be reviewing feedback Wednesday. “Your participation and your guidance is critical to my decision,” he said.
Since losing his Ohio Democratic primary, Kucinich has been tight-lipped about running for office in Washington. He did, however, visit the state ostensibly to speak about the future of Social Security on April 12.
A spokesman for the Washington secretary of state’s office explained to The Daily Caller last year that Kucinich could move to the state anytime before the third week of May and declare his candidacy. He would only have to live in the state, and not in the congressional district he would seek to represent. (RELATED: Kucinich packs bags for Washington)
Washington Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz, who has long pooh-poohed the notion of Kucinich seeking election in his state, told The Hill that Kucinich will have to decide if wants to be remembered “as a principled member of Congress or the narcissist who lost two congressional races in two states the same year.”