The Democratic primary was held March 4, 2008, the same day as the
Texas and
Ohio presidential primaries. The candidates were
Cleveland city councilman
Joe Cimperman,
North Olmsted mayor
Thomas O'Grady,
Barbra Ferris and
Rosemary Palmer. Kucinich previously stated that he would run again for
Congress in 2008 if his bid for president were unsuccessful. For 2008, however, Kucinich was facing four challengers in the Democratic primary scheduled for March 4, which prompted him to abandon his run for president. Opponents included Cleveland City Councilman
Joe Cimperman and North Olmsted Mayor
Thomas O'Grady. Having only raised around $50,000 so far compared to Cimperman's $228,000, Kucinich put out appeals for campaign funding on
YouTube. He managed to raise $700,000, surpassing Cimperman's $487,000. Cimperman, who was endorsed by the
Mayor of Cleveland and the
Cleveland Plain Dealer, criticized Kucinich for focusing too much on campaigning for president and not on the district. Kucinich accused Cimperman of representing corporate and real estate interests. Cimperman described Kucinich as an absentee congressman who failed to pass any major legislative initiatives in his 12-year House career. In an interview, Cimperman said he was tired of Kucinich and Cleveland being joke fodder for late-night talk-show hosts, saying, "It's time for him to go home". An ad paid for by Cimperman's campaign claimed that Kucinich had missed over 300 votes, but by checking the ad's source, the actual number was 139. A report suggested that representatives of
Nancy Pelosi and
American Israel Public Affairs Committee would "guarantee" Kucinich's re-election if he dropped his bid to impeach Cheney and Bush, though Kucinich denied the meeting happened. It was also suggested that Kucinich's calls for universal health care and an immediate withdrawal from Iraq made him a thorn in the side of the Democrats' congressional leadership, as well as his refusal to pledge to support the eventual presidential nominee. Kucinich easily won the primary by a 15-point-margin over his nearest opponent, Joe Cimperman.
Predictions Results Kucinich then beat Republican nominee
Jim Trakas. • Race ranking and details from
CQ Politics • Campaign contributions from
OpenSecrets ==District 11==