Kucinich opens campaign office in Toledo

A Spanish-speaking Dennis Kucinich opened a campaign headquarters Saturday in the heart of Toledo’s Latino community, where he has grounded his 9th District congressional campaign since the new district boundary lines were established in December. He already has headquarters in Lorain and Cleveland.

Mr. Kucinich, a Democrat from Cleveland, strode into the campaign offices at Broadway and Jervis Street in the city’s south end to the sound of Norteño music and applause from about a dozen Hispanic activists and clergymen.

“Good morning, my dear friends,” the congressman said in fluent, though heavily accented, Spanish. “It’s an honor to be here with you. I know it’s true that with the Lord everything is possible, and with the assistance of the Virgin of Guadalupe,” he continued, referring to Mexico’s patron saint.

Avoiding any criticism of his locally entrenched rival - he referred to opponent Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) as his friend - Mr. Kucinich played up his efforts to support Hispanic immigrants, particularly his backing of the Dream Act, a bill in Congress that Miss Kaptur voted against in 2010. The bill offered conditional residency to illegal immigrants who arrived in the United States as minors and either graduated from high school and then went on to college or enlisted in the military. It was passed by the House but died in the Senate.

“There is no such thing as an illegal human being,” he said, flitting between English and Spanish. “We must stand for the rights of immigrants. We must stand for the rights of our children, the children of immigrants, to be able to get a college education.”

In addition to Miss Kaptur, Mr. Kucinich will appear on the Democratic primary ballot March 6 against Graham Veysey, an entrepreneur from Cleveland.