NEWS AND OPINION:
Let us now consider Dennis Kucinich, who served as the mayor of Cleveland in the late 1970s, then was elected to the House to represent Ohio’s 10th Congressional District from 1997 to 2013. He also ran for U.S. president in the 2004 and 2008 Democratic primaries.
Mr. Kucinich is not done yet.
“My allegiance is to America, her people and the U.S. Constitution, not a political party,” he said in a lengthy written statement shared with Inside the Beltway on Monday.
“I am, therefore, thrilled to announce that I filed over 6,000 signature petitions to the Board of Elections to officially become an Independent candidate for Congress in Ohio’s 7th District,” Mr. Kucinich declared.
He promised to heed the U.S. Constitution and focus on “rational, aspirational and practical” leadership.
“Guided by the wisdom of President George Washington, who put country above party, I begin again to create a basis for a re-United States, transcending labels and partisan politics to play a unique role in the next Congress to help both Democratic and Republican colleagues to work together for the best interests of the American people, to help our nation to be able to communicate with itself at home and with other nations through diplomacy, the science of human relations, where we see each other as potential friends and allies, not as intractable enemies,” Mr. Kucinich said.
“We must retain our faith in the highest principles of the United States, in liberty and justice and in our Constitution, and work to once again put them into action. This starts with electing a representative who will stand courageously for truth, justice and the Constitution,” he later concluded.
Mr. Kucinich also lists “security, freedom, peace and prosperity” as the bywords of his campaign. Find the entire statement at Kucinich.com.
KENNEDY MAKES A CHOICE
Meanwhile, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will reveal his running mate on Tuesday in Oakland, California.
“This historic event will reaffirm the key principles of the Kennedy campaign of restoring the middle class, ending the chronic disease epidemic, unwinding the war machine, and unraveling corporate capture of our government agencies,” his campaign said in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
“Kennedy’s surging support across the country has made the election a three-way race. A recent Quinnipiac poll shows him leading Presidents Biden and Trump nationwide among voters under 35. An NBC poll shows 34% of people saying they could see themselves supporting RFK Jr. Another Quinnipiac Poll discussed on CNN shows Kennedy in a three-way tie with Presidents Biden and Trump among Latinos,” the statement said.
“Kennedy leads Presidents Biden and Trump among independents. Independents continue to constitute the largest political bloc in the U.S., with an average of 43% of U.S. adults. In contrast, 27% of U.S. adults identify as Republicans and 27% of U.S. adults identify as Democrats,” the campaign said, again citing a Quinnipiac University poll.
“The Kennedy campaign has launched a robust ballot access plan to ensure RFK Jr. is on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The campaign has exceeded all its ballot access benchmarks to date,” the campaign said.
Mr. Kennedy is already on the ballot in Utah and has collected the necessary signatures to be on the ballot in New Hampshire and Nevada.
“In Hawaii, the Hawaii Office of Elections has confirmed Kennedy supporters have collected the required signatures to establish the ‘We The People’ party in Hawaii. The campaign kicked off its petition gathering in Texas and will be kicking off many more states before the end of this month,” the campaign said.
Find more at Kennedy24.com.
MEANWHILE IN BOSTON
“Massachusetts is now spending $75 million each month on state-run shelters, a massive jump in expenses that comes as Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is expected to run out of cash for emergency services in early to mid-April without another financial infusion,” the Boston Herald reports.
“Lawmakers have spent most of the new year putting together a plan to pay soaring shelter bills just as state revenues have consistently come in below expectations, Washington has offered no help, and demand on services continues to persist at historic levels,” the news organization said.
“Lawmakers have so far handed the Healey administration $575 million in fiscal year 2024 to deal with a shelter crisis that has been exacerbated by an influx of migrants fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries,” the Herald stated.
THE TRUMP HEADLINES
Yes, Monday was a complicated day for former President Donald Trump for many reasons. Here are a few headlines from the last 24 hours:
“Court agrees to pause collection of Trump’s massive civil fraud judgment if he puts up $175M” (The Associated Press): “In win for Trump, appeals court lowers his bond to $175M in civil fraud case” (ABC News); “Why this is a wild week for Trump even by his standards” (CNN); “Trump’s bond is now $175 million in fraud case. Here’s what the New York attorney general could do if he doesn’t pay” (CBS News); “Donald Trump’s Truth Social set to begin trading Tuesday” (USA Today); “Trump torches NY judge after bond reduction: ‘A disgrace to this country’” (Fox News); “Trump’s Stormy Daniels hush money trial to start on April 15, judge rules” (Reuters).
POLL DU JOUR
• 37% of U.S. adults have a favorable opinion of former President Donald Trump, but not President Biden.
• 72% of Republicans, 31% of independents and 6% of Democrats agree.
• 44% of Whites, 30% of Hispanics and 12% of Blacks also agree.
• 34% overall have a favorable opinion of President Biden but not Mr. Trump.
• 4% of Republicans, 27% of independents and 64% of Democrats agree.
• 31% of Whites, 32% of Hispanics and 54% of Blacks also agree.
• 26% overall have an unfavorable opinion of both presidents; 22% of Republicans, 37% of independents and 26% of Democrats agree.
• 24% of Whites, 31% of Hispanics and 25% of Blacks also agree.
• 2% have a favorable opinion of both presidents; 1% of Republicans, 3% of independents and 3% of Democrats agree.
• 1% of Whites, 4% of Hispanics and 6% of Blacks also agree.
Source: A Pew Research Center poll of 12,693 U.S. adults conducted online Feb. 13-25 and released March 19.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.