The Cleveland Plain Dealer released its endorsement in the Democrat Party primary in Ohio’s 3rd District, slated for August 3.
The paper chose the former co-chair to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) 2020 presidential campaign and former Cleveland City Council member Nina Turner.
The paper said that Ohio has a long history of electing civil rights pioneers to Washington “to speak out for the rights, needs and interests of urban, largely poor constituents of color, too often neglected in the business of the U.S. Congress.”
It believes Turner is the best person for that job.
“There is one person in this crowded field who has shown she isn’t afraid to stand up to power and to partisan shibboleths, who has the guts to say what she thinks and do what’s right for her constituents and country, who is passionate about public service and knows the issues, the personalities, the challenges better than anyone else in this race,” the paper said.
Turner, who is the frontrunner in the race, has faced some controversy.
As The Ohio Star reported, Turner has close ties to Linda Sarsour, a radical Islamist activist who co-founded the Women’s March. Sarsour was fired from her position on the board of that company after numerous instances of anti-Semitism.
She praised Turned in 2019.
“[Turner] is a national treasure. Every time I am in space with her, I wanna fight for justice even harder. She has taught so many of us about self worth. Taught us that we are fighting for what we deserve, not any favors. She inspires me every day,” Sarsour said in 2019.
Highlighting the divide between moderate and progressives within the Democrat Party, the third-highest ranking Democrat in Congress, Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC-06) endorsed Turner’s opponent Shontel Brown, explaining that Turner was too radical.
“What I try to do is demonstrate by precept and example how we are to proceed as a party,” Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC-06) said after his endorsement of Brown. “When I spoke out against sloganeering, like ‘Burn, baby, burn’ in the 1960s and ‘defund the police,’ which I think is cutting the throats of the party, I know exactly where my constituents are. They are against that, and I’m against that.”
The special election is being held to replace Marcia Fudge, who was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Ohio’s 3rd district encompasses Cleveland, and is expected to be held by the Democrats in November.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to dabroscareports@gmail.com.
Photo “Nina Turner” by DarrellNance. CC BY-SA 4.0.