CORVALLIS - The only challenger to John Kerry's Democratic presidential nomination is in town this weekend, building support for issues that will shape the party's platform this election year.

When four-term Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich arrived at the Old World Deli on Saturday evening he was met with cheers from hundreds of supporters.

There wasn't enough room in the restaurant for all the people who came to see him. People stood shoulder-to-shoulder, and the crowd spilled out the back exit and onto the Second Street sidewalk.

Joe Magner of Corvallis found a space near the rear of the room and said that he was surprised to see so many people.

"It's like you'd never heard of Kerry," Magner said.

"Kerry who?" someone responded.

Kucinich thanked the audience for coming and asked people to join him in a discussion of a new direction for America and the Democratic Party.

"The direction of the Democratic Party remains to be determined," Kucinich said. "This is the moment. This is the state."

Kucinich called on Democrats to take a stand for a universal, single-payer, not-for-profit health care system. He challenged the party to put ethical principles in fair trade agreements. He also said that it was time to get rid of the USA Patriot Act.

Kucinich also will make an appearance at 9 a.m. this morning at Burton's Sunnybrook Restaurant in Corvallis before heading to Eugene, Roseburg, Medford and Ashland.

LoErna Simpson, a Corvallis Kucinich supporter, spent several hours Saturday preparing for his arrival. She took a break from blowing up balloons to talk about why Kucinich's stance on issues resonates with progressive Democrats.

At Benton County Democrats' mock caucus in February, Kucinich had the highest number of votes in the pool of then presidential hopefuls, including Howard Dean, Kerry, and John Edwards, said Simpson.

"He got twice as many votes as any of the other three candidates," she said. "It says something about how people are feeling."

Kucinich is trying to influence the Democratic platform to include universal health care, bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq and fair trade. Kucinich's progressive stance sets him apart from other candidates, even some of those within his party.

"He really is talking about what people are concerned with today," Simpson said.

Kucinich's campaign is spending four days in Oregon, and he is expected to return next month before the May presidential primary.

"It's the issues, not the nomination that we're working on," Simpson said.

Simpson said that the progressive movement might not be a majority. But it is strong in Benton County and elsewhere in the state.

"A good many people in Oregon are independent-minded," she said. "Some are more conservative, and some are progressive."

Several political Web sites that are speculating the outcome of the 2004 election list Oregon as one of the states still in play, meaning neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have a strong political advantage.

Oregon's 7 electoral votes in the 2000 election went to Democratic candidate, Al Gore, who had a small margin of victory over George W. Bush in the state's popular vote.

Kucinich appeals to voters such as Jerry Groesz of Corvallis. His son, Josh Groesz, is in the National Guard and just arrived in Kuwait. Groesz said that he wants his son to come home.

"Kucinich is the only one to talk about sending them home," Groesz said.