He attended Penn Township High School before heading to Kent State University in Ohio, where he graduated in 1969.
After the unexpected death of state Representative John Laudadio in 1977, Kukovich won a special election on November 8, 1977, to complete the remainder of the deceased member's term of office.
"[4] In 1996, he defeated incumbent Democratic state Senator Eugene Porterfield who represented Pennsylvania's 39th Senatorial District.
In the Senate, Kukovich served as Democratic Chair of the Aging and Youth Committee, where he played a pivotal role in the passing of the expanded PACE legislation.
Kukovich help found the Pennsylvania chapter of Common Cause in the early 1970s and is currently an executive board member of the national organization, Americans for Democratic Action (ADA).