DENNIS KUCINICH

Congressman Dennis Kucinich's campaign logo has the first zero in "2008" represented by a globe, the second by a peace symbol. Kucinich also ran for president in 2004 on a peace platform, saying he would create a Cabinet-level Department of Peace. Seen as a far-left fringe candidate, Kucinich may have made his biggest impression on voters when he said in a debate this year that he'd seen a UFO.

BIRTHDAY: Oct. 8, 1946 (61) HOMETOWN: Cleveland RELIGION: Roman Catholic

FAMILY: Married his third wife, British national Elizabeth Harper, in 2005, and the statuesque redhead has attracted nearly as much attention as the candidate. He has a daughter from a previous marriage.

EDUCATION: Bachelor's and master's degrees, 1973, Case Western Reserve University

EXPERIENCE: Cleveland city councilman, 1970-75, 1983-85; Cleveland mayor, 1977-79; Ohio state senator, 1994-96; U.S. congressman from Ohio, 1997-present; 2004 presidential candidate

YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW: Kucinich's UFO sighting came at the house of actress and New Age enthusiast Shirley MacLaine, a close friend

CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL WEB SITE WWW.DENNIS4PRESIDENT.COM

DECISION TO RUN:

Says he is running because no other candidate supports causes such as single-payer universal health care and uncompromising pacifism.

MAJOR THEMES:

Kucinich's slogan is "Strength through Peace." Unlike his rivals, he voted against the Iraq war and the Patriot Act, allowing Kucinich to claim that unlike others, he was right the first time. He has introduced a bill in the House to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney.

IN NEVADA:

Has a small but ardent volunteer corps in Nevada and has spent seven days in the state.

IN THE POLLS

NATIONALLY

Polls among the bottom-feeders beneath the margin of error in national polls, registering in the low single-digits if at all.

NEVADA

In keeping with his performance elsewhere, Kucinich had 2 percent of the Democratic vote in the Review-Journal's most recent poll.

POSITIONS

WAR/NATIONAL SECURITY

Says the government needs to promote peace as much as it currently promotes war, in his view. He would pull troops from Iraq immediately and has consistently voted against continuing to fund the war.

HEALTH CARE

All of the Democrats are promising universal health care, but Kucinich is the only candidate to advocate a single-payer system -- meaning that the government would fund people's care directly, as it does now with Medicare, rather than subsidizing people's health insurance.

IMMIGRATION

Calls for compassion toward undocumented immigrants and a clear plan to award them legal status. At a debate in Las Vegas, he objected to the moderators' use of the term "illegal immigrants," saying, "There are no illegal human beings."

NEVADA ISSUES

Not only opposes Yucca Mountain, he once stopped a nuclear dump in his own state. While in the state Senate, Kucinich was the most vocal opponent of a proposed regional waste repository in Ohio. He opposes nuclear energy and favors abolishing nuclear weapons.

ENERGY

Would create a government program to employ workers to build renewable energy infrastructure, calling it the "Works Green Administration." He promises to tackle global warming as a top priority, including joining the Kyoto climate treaty.

TAXES

Says that "corporations and the wealthy aren't paying their fair share." He would increase taxes on these groups while easing the tax burden on middle-class and poor families. He would get rid of President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy and would maintain the estate tax.

CRITICS

Was run out of the Cleveland mayoralty and thought to be dead politically when he refused to privatize the city's electric utility at a time of fiscal crisis. But decades later, it was determined that the move saved the city money, and Kucinich returned to politics on the slogan "Because He Was Right." As a presidential candidate, Kucinich is seen as too far left in his views to appeal to the general electorate, and has been criticized for not paying sufficient attention to his constituents back home in Cleveland.