Kucinich planning to stump for votes in East Lansing, Michigan
Originally published in the Lansing State Journal
Kucinich planning to stump for votes in East Lansing
Democrat hopes to build support for presidential bid
By Chris Andrews
Lansing State Journal
Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich will bring his campaign to East Lansing on Thursday.
Campaign officials are trying to schedule the visit for 2:30 p.m. at the Hannah Community Center, said state director Bob Alexander, though arrangements have not been finalized.
"We want to talk to MSU students and LCC students before they go for the holidays," Alexander said Friday. "We want to show folks that we're for real and that we've moved the issues far from the muddled middle."
Michigan Democrats will vote in party-run caucuses on Feb. 7. The state is considered especially important because its caucuses are relatively early in the delegate-selection process.
Kucinich, a congressman from Ohio, is a decided underdog in Michigan and nationally.
Michigan polls have shown former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and U.S. Rep. Dick Gep-hardt of Missouri in the first tier.
There's no mistaking Kucinich for a candidate muddled in the middle. He is considered one of the most liberal candidates in the Democratic field.
He opposed the war against Iraq from the outset and supports a quick withdrawal of U.S. troops by turning over responsibilities to the United Nations. He would cut the Defense Department budget by 15 percent.
"What I like most about Dennis Kucinich is that he believes we can resolve issues without having such a large military buildup," said Aaron Stuttman, a 46-year-old massage therapist from Lansing.
Kucinich has called for national health care, universal preschool and free tuition for millions of college students. He supports the repeal of President Bush's tax cuts.
"He wants to reform health care, really reform it," said Ellen Link, 52, of Laingsburg. "I like where he stands on a lot of the issues."
Kucinich also is making campaign stops Thursday in Ann Arbor and Detroit.
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