SEATTLE, Wash. — Jean Thomas and Elaine Phelps were hashing out a political sticking point last Saturday afternoon in a dim corner of the Comedy Underground in Seattle's historic Pioneer Square neighborhood.

The longtime Democratic party activists share a progressive philosophy and a Feb. 12 birthday but disagreed on whether Rep. Dennis Kucinich should seek a congressional seat in Washington state next year if his Cleveland district is eliminated.

Slow population growth means Ohio will lose two congressional seats in 2012, and Republicans who control the redistricting process in Columbus are likely to target the districts of Democrats like Kucinich, who has served as a Cleveland mayor, city councilman, state legislator and congressman in a career that spans more than three decades.

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Compare Kucinich's current district and what might be his Washington alternative

To remain in Congress, Kucinich , 64, says he's thinking about pulling up those deep roots and relocating to Washington state, which is likely to have multiple Democrat-leaning seats without an incumbent when district lines are redrawn. To weigh his options, Kucinich has made repeated trips to the state, including last weekend's appearance in Seattle.

So will Kucinich abandon his longtime home on Cleveland's West Side for the nation's West Coast? He isn't saying yet.

But if he decides to do it, it's questionable whether he could surmount opposition from Washington state's Democratic Party establishment and the inevitable label he would get as an opportunistic carpetbagger with few ties to his potential turf. And the fact is, many people in Washington state barely know who he is.

Still, the state's ardent Kucinich supporters encourage the move. During his 2004 presidential campaign, Kucinich amassed a group of Washington state delegates who were so loyal that they backed him over John Kerry at their party's nominating convention. His Washington backers continue to cheer on Kucinich at appearances he's made since announcing his potential move. A number of them did just that last weekend.

Decision rests on new congressional maps

Kucinich could make history if he were elected to Congress from Washington state. Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs say no member of Congress has ever been elected to the House of Representatives in back-to-back elections after an interstate move.

Only 15 politicians have ever served in Congress from multiple states, according to research by University of Minnesota political scientist Eric J. Ostermeier. The last person to do it was Republican Ed Foreman, who lost his 1964 re-election bid in Texas, moved back to his native New Mexico, and won a congressional seat there in 1968 that he held for a single term.

Kucinich told well-wishers at the Seattle event that he has no timeframe to make up his mind on relocation. Those decisions may be influenced by each state's redistricting and primary processes.

The work on Ohio's new congressional maps is likely to be done by late summer or early fall, predicts Mike Dittoe, a spokesman for Ohio House Speaker William G. Batchelder. To run in Ohio's May primary, Kucinich must file re-election paperwork in February.

Washington's new district lines are likely to be released in January, says Pelz. The state's primary filing deadline isn't until June, so Kucinich could theoretically relocate there in a hurry and run for office if he loses in an Ohio primary.

The state's new congressional district is likely to be in the liberal environs of Olympia, the state capital, political observers say. Democratic Rep. Jay Inslee's decision to run for governor will also free up the Democrat-leaning district that he currently represents in the Seattle area. Kucinich has said he doesn't want to run against a Democratic incumbent.

After hearing Kucinich's NWRoots speech, Phelps said she had moved past her reservations and was convinced Kucinich should seek a Washington congressional seat in 2012. She said his speech made her realize that "he is the guy you'd really like to see in Congress."

"It turned something in me, listening to him tonight," she said. "He spoke from his heart to our hearts. I think that's what did it."