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Analysis: Kucinich, Moseley-Braun may alter Democratic race dynamicsMore competition for money, attention
By John Mercurio
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The crowded Democratic presidential field gains two left-leaning candidates this week, and while they face little prospect of capturing the nomination, they could force more viable candidates to compete for support among labor groups, black voters and anti-war activists. U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio announced his bid Monday, calling himself an "FDR Democrat" and a "candidate for peace." Former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun, who served one six-year term before she was defeated in 1998, is set to jump in Wednesday after touring the early-primary states of New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina last weekend. Both candidates are filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to form exploratory committees, which will allow them to start raising money for a possible candidacy. While the FEC filings in effect throw the two into the race, they have said they'll decide whether to formally run for president later this year. Wednesday, former House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri, who had already formed an exploratory committee, officially launched his presidential campaign with a news conference in St. Louis. Kucinich and Moseley-Braun both hail from the unabashedly liberal wing of their party and clearly face challenges to be taken seriously. But they could have a far-reaching impact on the race for the Democratic nomination.
Most notably, the two entries brings the total number of presidential candidates to eight, with at least five other Democrats still eyeing bids. (They are Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, ret. Army Gen. Wesley Clark, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and former Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado.) The larger field could mean more unwieldy debates, less media coverage for individual candidates and more difficulty raising money from party donors. Both new entrants strongly oppose military action in Iraq and that stance appeals to anti-war supporters now backing former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and the Rev. Al Sharpton. Kucinich is the only candidate who opposed the congressional war resolution authorizing President Bush go declare war without United Nations approval. The new candidates' expected focus on the war also could force top contenders, like Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina, to clarify their limited support for a U.S.-led invasion. Furthermore, divisions within the anti-war field could help solidify support among the race's pro-war candidates, Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Gephardt of Missouri. Gephardt could see defections among another group vital to his bid -- labor. Kucinich, who told the Iowa Federation of Labor on Monday that as president he would rescind the North American Free Trade Agreement, also enjoys strong support among unions, which could hurt Gephardt just as he prepares to formally kick off his candidacy this week. Moseley-Braun, the only African-American woman ever elected to the Senate, will likely diminish Sharpton's support among black voters. But more importantly, she also could hinder Edwards in South Carolina, where he is aggressively seeking support among African-Americans. Campaigning in South Carolina on Sunday, Moseley-Braun said she supported the NAACP's economic boycott of the state until the Confederate flag is removed from state grounds. "Fighting over the Confederate flag is to look backwards toward pain. We all have one flag and that's the flag of the United States of America," she said. Moseley-Braun has a history of speaking out against the Confederate flag. In one of her most memorable Senate floor speeches, she criticized then-Sen. Jesse Helms's efforts in 1993 to renew a patent for the insignia for the Daughters of the Confederacy, which features the controversial flag. Still, neither candidate is showing early signs that they can emerge as a strong contender. Moseley-Braun, 55, who served two years as ambassador to New Zealand after she lost her 1998 re-election bid, hails from one of the biggest battleground states, and she's the only woman in the field. But she appears equally challenged to prove her viability. Events she held during her tour of early primary states last weekend, for example, were sparsely attended. She also left the Senate under a cloud of controversy. After Moseley-Braun won her Senate race in 1992, the FEC investigated the finances of her campaign, which faced charges of overspending. She took out a $10,000 loan to pay personal expenses, while she and her campaign manager withdrew $69,000 on credit cards. An FEC audit ultimately said her bookkeeping was disorganized, but the commission never penalized her. She also drew heavy criticism for making an unauthorized trip to visit Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha in 1995. Kucinich, 56, was first elected in 1996 after a brief stint in the Ohio State Senate and a nearly 20-year hiatus from elective office. As mayor of Cleveland in 1977, he feuded with city council and business leaders and narrowly survived a recall movement. With the city's finances in ruins, he left office two years later, defeated for re-election by Republican George Voinovich, who went on to serve two terms as Ohio governor and win a Senate seat in 1998.
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