Coyne considers giving Kucinich a run in primary04/10/03 As U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich campaigns across the country for peace and for president, he may have to stump a little in his own back yard. Former Brook Park Mayor Tom Coyne said this week he is considering challenging Kucinich in next year's Democratic primary. From Our Advertisers Coyne, a sharp-tongued politician with a healthy ego, said he has received several calls from supporters urging him to run. And the idea appeals to him. "I've always wanted to be in Congress," he said. "It would be the race of a lifetime." Coyne has run three times for Congress, losing twice in the primary and once, in 1996, in the general election. Coyne, chairman of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, claims Kucinich's anti-war stance has cast the congressman in an unfavorable light locally. "I don't think his views are consistent with the people of the district anymore," Coyne said. Kucinich, who has won big in re-election campaigns thanks to his attention to local issues, of fered an uncharacteristic punchy response through his spokesman. "Mr. Coyne's comments are surprisingly ill-informed," said Doug Gordon. "Now that Mr. Coyne has declared his intention to challenge a popular Democratic incumbent, he should do the honorable thing and step down" from the elections board. http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/opinion/104996718366580.xml?ocnay |