Dennis Kucinich to retire, won't run again

The Huffington Post:



Washington - Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) will not run for Congress in Washington state in 2012, telling his supporters in an email on Wednesday that his service in the U.S. House of Representatives will end on Jan. 2, 2013.

The eight-term congressman lost his reelection bid in a March primary to fellow Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), after their seats were combined under redistricting. For months, there had been speculation that Kucinich would move to Washington state and run for Congress there.

On Wednesday, however, he said he would not pursue that option. The filing deadline to run in the state is May 18.

"After careful consideration and discussions with [my wife] Elizabeth and my closest friends, I have decided that, at this time, I can best serve from outside the Congress," he wrote in the email. "My commitments to peace, to workers' rights and to social and economic justice are constant and are not dependent upon holding an office. They are dependent upon my continuing to stand up, to speak out, to organize, to motivate and to inspire our nation as to its deeper potential. This I promise I will do with great energy and heart."

Continue reading here.