Progressives rally around Turner’s House bid

Progressives rallied around former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner (D) on Tuesday after she announced she will run for Rep. Marcia Fudge’s (D-Ohio) House seat.

Turner, a former co-chair for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign, is a favorite among the progressive base and saw her stock rise as one of the Vermont senator’s top surrogates in 2016 and 2020. Activists had pushed for her to run for Congress after President-elect Joe Biden selected Fudge to serve as his Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary, likely opening up a vacancy in Fudge’s deep-blue, Cleveland-area district. 

Several high-profile progressives quickly lined up behind Turner, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), another former co-chair of Sanders’s campaign.

“.@ninaturner will bring a phenomenal commitment to a $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All, and free public college to Congress,” he tweeted. “I am all in for her. This is an endorsement of conviction for me.”

.@ninaturner will bring a phenomenal commitment to a $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All, and free public college to Congress.

I am all in for her. This is an endorsement of conviction for me. pic.twitter.com/rgoyFJYNPO

— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) December 15, 2020

Minnesota Attorney General (D) Keith Ellison hailed Turner’s bid as “great news,” tweeting, “I endorse Nina and I hope you do too.” 

I’m super excited about ⁦@ninaturner⁩ running for Congress to fill the seat soon-to-be HUD Secretary Rep. Marcia Fudge. This is great news! I endorse Nina and I hope you do too. pic.twitter.com/7YuhKWVoQv

— Keith Ellison (@keithellison) December 15, 2020

Our Revolution, a top progressive advocacy organization, added it was “excited to organize” for Turner. 

HELLO SOMEBODY! We are so excited to organize to elect one of our fierce, progressive leaders @ninaturner to the U.S. Congress! A true humanitarian fighting for everyone’s right to live a good life. #OurRevolution #OrganizeToWin pic.twitter.com/AU3gwKzA8S

— Our Revolution (@OurRevolution) December 15, 2020

The swift endorsements underscore the support Turner has cultivated over four years as a top progressive figure. Should she also be able to tap into the small-dollar fundraising machine that Sanders helped construct since 2016, she will also be in a strong financial position heading into the Democratic primary.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) will have to set a date for a special election to fill Fudge’s seat should she be confirmed to be HUD secretary, but the Democratic primary is already expected to be crowded for a district in which winning the nomination is essentially a ticket to Congress.

Shontel Brown, the leader of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, has already said she will run if Fudge is confirmed, and former Cleveland city councilman Jeff Johnson is also expected to run, already taking aim at Turner by suggesting she wouldn’t work with Biden.

Turner was a frequent critic of Biden during the primary election but defended her credentials in an interview with Politico and noted that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was also one of the president-elect’s detractors on the campaign trail. 

“Trying to make the Democratic Party better and insist very strongly that it answers to the cries of the people — to me that’s what being a Democrat is, not just going along to get along,” she said. “The partnership between President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris shows that people can have their differences. … [She] called out the vice president on his record on race with substance — very strongly, she did — and look at their partnership now.”