Story Created:
Sep 28, 2009 at 9:32 AM EST
Story Updated:
Sep 28, 2009 at 9:32 AM EST
CLEVELAND (AP) — A former chairman of the Ohio Communist Party has come closer than ever to taking a Cleveland City Council seat, after years of trying.
Registered Democrat Rick Nagin finished a strong second in this month's primary race in Council Ward 14. He faces a Nov. 3 general election runoff against the top vote getter, Brian Cummins.
Cummins currently represents a different ward that's being carved up as part of a council downsizing. Cummins and Nagin both defeated the Ward 14 incumbent, Joe Santiago.
Nagin failed in three previous bids for the council seat. He says the word "communist" has been demonized, so he resists being labeled one, though he wrote for the party's newspaper as recently as May. He describes himself as being on the side of the working class.
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Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com
