The Cleveland Democrat never was a contender. Mark Naymik at The Plain Dealer's politics desk broke the story. Dennis Kucinich faces serious opposition in OH-10, the congressional district he represents on Cleveland's East Side.
[UPDATE: 6:54 PM -- Jeff Coryell at Ohio Daily Blog offers analysis about the impact on OH-10 and Kucinich's reelection campaign: "A couple of quick reactions. Pundits have been saying that Kucinich is in real trouble on winning re-election to Congress, but this news is the biggest proof yet. He wouldn't drop out of the presidential race if he wasn't nervous about keeping his seat.
"Kucinich's national following is small but very loyal. He polled better in several states than candidates regarded as higher-profile, like Sens. Biden and Dodd. So, where will his 3% to 5% share of the voters turn? I'm thinking Edwards, as the one with the strongest populist progressive message. Will it change the dynamics of the race? Um ... no . Does this help Kucinich keep his seat? Absolutely. Slamming Kucinich for ignoring his district while running for president has been the lynch-pin of the Palmer and Cimperman campaigns to date. They must retool. And, the fact that there are multiple challengers to divide the vote will help, along with Kucinich giving the congressional race his undivided attention.
"Don't expect Kucinich to disappear from the national political arena completely. I bet he will still be making appearances on the cable news shows to talk about the presidential race. He may be out of the race, but he is still a controversial figure with lots of entertainment value (which is what the cable channels are all about), and he still has all the motivation in the world to speak out."]
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