Progressive Nina Turner running again for US House in Ohio

COLUMBUS — Progressive Democrat Nina Turner is making another run at a Cleveland-area U.S. House seat in Ohio, the former state senator and top surrogate for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign announced Wednesday.

Turner, 54, launched her rematch against U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown in a video that pledged she will be a fighter for struggling working-class families.

“America is at a crossroads, wrestling between two futures,” she says in the spot. “Do we sacrifice the poor, the working poor and the barely middle class to protect the ultra wealthy? Or do we treat our people as America’s greatest asset and ensure everyone has a real chance to live a good life?”

Brown, who chairs the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, prevailed in a special election primary against Turner last year that drew national attention as a proxy for the future of the Democratic Party.

Brown mustered support from establishment Democrats in the campaign’s final weeks to overcome Turner’s year of dogged campaigning, capturing just over 50% of the vote to Turner’s almost 45% in the 13-way race. Brown easily won the general election in the heavily Democratic district, filling a seat vacated when then-U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge joined President Joe Biden’s Cabinet.

Ohio’s congressional district lines for 2022 are not yet settled, but Turner said she is “more committed to serving her hometown” — whatever final maps deliver.

Turner’s policy positions include support for a $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All and expanded public education from pre-kindergarten to college.

This July 7, 2021 file photo shows Nina Turner speaking with supporters near the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections before casting her vote in Cleveland. Turner is making another run at a Cleveland-area U.S. House seat in Ohio, the former state senator and top surrogate for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign announced Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Phil Long, File)