Kucinich campaigns for Florida Muslim vote
Originally published in the Washington Times
TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, a candidate for Democratic nomination for president, is courting the Muslim vote in Florida this week.
Kucinich appeared before Muslim groups in Miami and Tampa Tuesday urging the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and condemning the Patriot Act.
"The defining issue for Muslims is the restriction of civil liberties," Kucinich said while visiting the Sligh Avenue Mosque in Tampa.
The visit was organized by local members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Tampa Tribune reported Wednesday.
The Muslim community voted overwhelmingly for President Bush in the 2000 election, but is expected to bolt to the Democrats in 2004.
Kucinich is considered a long shot, with his poll numbers universally in the single digits. [ed note: does this sentence have anything to do with the rest of the article?]
Kucinich said he believes voters will start to move toward his candidacy once the support for the occupation begins to sour.
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