COLUMBUS, Ohio - Dennis Kucinich, the liberal Ohio politician who has made two failed White House campaigns, won the Democratic primary Tuesday in his battle to keep his seat against the toughest, best-financed challenger in his 12-year congressional career.
Although the presidential primary commanded most of the nation's attention, Kucinich's race Tuesday was the best-known congressional contest on ballots in Ohio and Texas.
Other races included three veterans of the Iraq war seeking congressional nominations in Ohio and a battle for the nomination to challenge Sen. John Cornyn in Texas. Voters in one Vermont community approved a measure calling for the arrest of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
For years, the 61-year-old Kucinich has won re-election by margins of up to 75 percent in a reliably Democratic district.
But after sensing early that Joe Cimperman was a formidable opponent, Kucinich abandoned his presidential campaign on Jan. 25, months earlier in the race than he did in 2004, when he also was polling in low one-digit numbers.
Cimperman, a Cleveland City Council member and former Kucinich admirer, raised nearly $500,000 and landed high-profile endorsements from the mayor and the city's daily newspaper.
After leaving the White House race, Kucinich returned to his familiar fighting-for-you mantra to win renomination and landed a quick $700,000 in contributions.
With 36 percent of precincts reporting, Kucinich was ahead with 52 percent of the vote, compared with 31 percent for Cimperman, according to unofficial returns compiled by The Associated Press.
