Who Is Dennis Kucinich?

Jan. 8 -- Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who is vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, has defied the odds more than once in his political career.

In an interview with ABCNEWS' Peter Jennings, Kucinich speaks of his political premonition when he was young, and how being small helped him shape his leadership skills.

Kucinich was born in Cleveland. His father was a truck driver.

"My family had a lot of ups and downs. I was the oldest of seven, and my parents never owned a home," said Kucinich. "As my family kept expanding, we kept just moving from apartment to apartment … [but] the apartments weren't big enough to accommodate our family."

By the time Kucinich was 17 years old, his family had lived in 21 different places, including a couple of cars.

Kucinich said his parents worked hard at keeping the family together, but when he was 12, the family faced a serious crisis.

"After my mother had her fifth child, not the seventh, she experienced what today would be called postpartum depression," said Kucinich. "It was very hard for her. And she was sick for a long time."

Kucinich said his father tried to find some way to keep the family together, even though at one point, some of the children were staying in a children's home and others were with relatives.