Kucinich's return to state fuels talk he may relocate here

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio-for-now, returned to Washington state Saturday for a weekend of public appearances as part of his continued flirtation with a potential campaign for Congress here in 2012.

Kucinich remained coy about his future plans as he talked to an adoring group of about 50 people at a Democratic fundraiser in a Woodinville reception hall Saturday afternoon.

He downplayed the speculation in an interview before the event, but later he told the gathering it's not so important that Washington's next member of Congress be homegrown.

The small crowd sipped wine and coffee as they took in Kucinich's critique of an America he said has been "calcified" by fear since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He railed against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as motivated by oil and said Congress should demand the troops come home from those wars, and from military bases around the world.

Judith Shattuck, an organizer for the Washington State Progressive Caucus, which co-hosted the event, summed up Kucinich's appeal to progressive Democrats — lauding his ability "to put into words what so many of us feel in our hearts."

Kucinich, 64, has represented a West Cleveland district in Congress since 1997. But that district could be redrawn or eliminated in a Republican-controlled redistricting process in that state. Kucinich's office this month released a statement confirming he is considering a run in another state, including Washington.

Democrats here have speculated Kucinich could run in the state's new 10th U.S. House District, or seek the 1st Congressional District seat if U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee runs for governor. Kucinich has fanned those rumors with a series of recent public appearances in Washington state.

Before he strolled into the Woodinville event, Kucinich, who arrived in a red Prius driven by a local supporter, smiled at the continued speculation over his plans. He repeated he is "not a candidate" and was merely accepting invitations to speak at events, as he has for years.

Kucinich's talk did not center on his own political future, but on the changes he's seen in America over the past decade.

"It's really hard to recognize America today from what it was before 9/11," Kucinich said. "We have seen the beginning of a national-security state."

While the U.S. wages foreign wars, money is sucked out of the economy that could otherwise pay for universal health care and education, he said.

A Democratic Party activist asked whether the first representative of Washington's new 10th District needs to be "homegrown."

Kucinich paused for a second. "Where people live is always interesting. Where they stand is quite instructive," he said, to loud applause.

Kucinich's possible run in Washington has been met with strong opposition by state Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz, who told the Ohio congressman he opposed the idea in a recent phone conversation.

"I continue to be unsupportive of the notion that a congressman from Ohio should run in Washington state," Pelz said Saturday. "Kucinich has played a positive role in American politics, but it's a role he needs to play from Cleveland, not Lynnwood."

But Kucinich does have his fans among local Democrats, especially the liberal wing of the party that has been disappointed with President Obama's compromises with Republicans on taxes and other issues.

Kucinich attracted some of the strongest support for his 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns from Washington state.

Martin Chaney, chairman of the 45th Legislative District Democrats, which co-hosted the Woodinville event, said Kucinich inspired him to become active in the party in 2004 because of his pro-worker message.

"He brought a lot of people into the Democratic Party that year," said Chaney, who added he would consider supporting Kucinich if he were to run here.

Kucinich would be legally eligible to run in Washington state in 2012 as long as he moved here and registered to vote before the filing period that spring.

Odds are, local voters will be seeing more of him between now and then.

In addition to the Woodinville appearance, Kucinich participated in a bank protest in Seattle on Saturday, and he was scheduled to speak to student groups at the University of Washington in the evening.

On Sunday, Kucinich is to speak at a pancake-brunch fundraiser in Shoreline for the 32nd Legislative District Democrats before heading to Qwest Field, where he is a featured speaker at the ongoing Seattle Green Festival.

"I've been getting a lot of invitations to speak here, and they're still coming in," Kucinich said in an interview. "I like coming out here."

Jim Brunner: 206-515-5628 or jbrunner@seattletimes.com