Nina Turner (Ohio)

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Nina Turner
Image of Nina Turner
Prior offices
Cleveland City Council

Ohio State Senate District 25

Elections and appointments
Last election

August 3, 2021

Education

Associate

Cuyahoga Community College

Bachelor's

Cleveland State University

Graduate

Cleveland State University

Personal
Profession
Assistant professor
Contact

Nina Turner (Democratic Party) was a member of the Ohio State Senate, representing District 25. She assumed office in 2008. She left office on January 5, 2015.

Turner (Democratic Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Ohio's 11th Congressional District. She lost in the special Democratic primary on August 3, 2021.

Turner did not run for re-election to the Senate in 2014.

Turner served on the Cleveland City Council from 2006 to 2008.

2021 battleground election

See also: Ohio's 11th Congressional District special election, 2021 (August 3 Democratic primary)

Shontel Brown won the special Democratic primary for Ohio's 11th Congressional District on August 3, 2021, advancing to the special general election on November 2, 2021. Thirteen candidates ran in the primary.[1] The special election was called after former incumbent Marcia Fudge (D) was confirmed as secretary of housing and urban development in President Joe Biden's (D) administration.[2]

The Hill's Julia Manchester wrote in July that the race "has become a proxy battle for the Democratic Party establishment and national progressives," referring to endorsements for Brown and Nina Turner.[3] Brown served on the Cuyahoga County Council as of the election. Turner, a former state senator, was a 2016 national surrogate and 2020 co-chair for Bernie Sanders' Democratic presidential primary campaigns.

Brown was endorsed by former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the Congressional Black Caucus PAC. Sanders and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC endorsed Turner. Seth Richardson of cleveland.com wrote that local endorsements did not break down along the same dividing lines as national endorsements.[4] Click here for more on national and local politics in the race.

Three policy areas where the candidates differed were healthcare, student loan debt forgiveness, and the cost of higher education. Click here to learn more about their positions.

Brown campaigned on her relationship with Fudge and support for the Biden administration, saying in one ad, "In Congress, I'll bring people together and work with Joe Biden to stop gun violence and provide economic relief for families. That's different than Nina Turner." The ad highlighted Turner's criticisms of Biden.

Turner released an ad in which she said she fought for the Democratic Party throughout her career. A narrator cited The Cleveland Plain Dealer, which criticized Brown for not stepping down as Cuyahoga County Democratic Party chair during her campaign and called her record undistinguished.

As of June 2021, Inside Elections rated the special election Solid Democratic.[5] Fudge was first elected in 2008, and she won re-election with at least 79% of the vote in each election cycle between then and 2021. As of 2019 Census Bureau estimates, Ohio's 11th was the only district in the state where Black residents made up a majority (53%). The district also had the largest Jewish population in the state, according to cleveland.com.[4]

Elections

2021

See also: Ohio's 11th Congressional District special election, 2021

General election
Special general election for U.S. House Ohio District 11

Shontel Brown and Laverne Gore are running in the special general election for U.S. House Ohio District 11 on November 2, 2021.

Candidate

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/ShontelBrown-2017.jpeg

Shontel Brown (D)

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/LaverneGore.jpg

Laverne Gore (R)

Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 11

The following candidates ran in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 11 on August 3, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/ShontelBrown-2017.jpeg

Shontel Brown
 
50.4
 
35,504

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Nina_Turner.jpg

Nina Turner
 
44.3
 
31,202

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JeffreyJohnson12.jpg

Jeffrey Johnson
 
1.8
 
1,253

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/John_E._Barnes_Jr..jpg

John E. Barnes Jr.
 
1.0
 
723

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Shirley Smith
 
0.7
 
518

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Seth Corey
 
0.7
 
474

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Will Knight
 
0.2
 
172

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Pamela Pinkney
 
0.2
 
168

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Tariq Shabazz
 
0.2
 
127

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Martin Alexander
 
0.1
 
97

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James Jerome Bell
 
0.1
 
89

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Lateek Shabazz
 
0.1
 
56

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Isaac Powell
 
0.1
 
44

Total votes: 70,427
Republican primary election
Special Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 11

Laverne Gore defeated Felicia Ross in the special Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 11 on August 3, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/LaverneGore.jpg

Laverne Gore
 
74.2
 
3,894

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Felicia Ross
 
25.8
 
1,352

Total votes: 5,246

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profile

Image of Nina Turner

Website Facebook Twitter

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

  • Ohio State Senate (2008-2015)
  • Cleveland City Council (2006-2008) 

Biography: 

Turner received an A.A. from Cuyahoga Community College and bachelor's and master's degrees from Cleveland State University. Turner was an assistant professor of history at Cuyahoga Community College and chair of party engagement for the Ohio Democratic Party. In 2014, Turner was the Democratic nominee for Ohio secretary of state. Turner was a national surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) 2016 Democratic presidential campaign. She was president of Our Revolution before co-chairing Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. 

Key messages

  • Turner said her record included securing housing for seniors and leading a bipartisan effort to create a task force on community and police relations. She said she worked for Sanders' presidential campaign "to make the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share and fight for Medicare for All."

  • Turner emphasized her upbringing, saying she grew up in a working-class family as one of seven children, and connected her support for Medicare for All to her mother's death at age 42.

  • Turner said, "You need to have somebody that will lead this community who does have a vision, that understands being a partner does not mean being a puppet, that working with does not mean acquiescing to."


Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Nina Turner Democratic Party $3,867,839 $3,704,491 $647,125 As of July 14, 2021
Shontel Brown Democratic Party $2,066,834 $1,748,992 $357,471 As of July 14, 2021
Bryan Flannery $124,091 $141,773 $0 As of June 30, 2021
Seth Corey Democratic Party $64,007 $35,724 $28,283 As of July 14, 2021
Shirley Smith Democratic Party $23,621 $20,790 $2,333 As of July 14, 2021
John E. Barnes Jr. Democratic Party $18,778 $14,587 $4,192 As of July 14, 2021
Jeffrey Johnson Democratic Party $14,322 $4,795 $14,878 As of July 14, 2021
Laverne Gore $11,433 $9,977 $1,673 As of July 14, 2021
Tariq Shabazz Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available
Daniel Corrigan $0 $0 $0 Data not available
Felicia Ross $0 $0 $0 Data not available
Will Knight Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available
James Jerome Bell Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available
Pamela Pinkney Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available
Isaac Powell Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available
Lateek Shabazz Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," .

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.


Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[6][7][8]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

  • The Democratic Action PAC had spent $611,000 on radio, broadcast, and mail supporting Turner and opposing Brown as of July 28.[9]
  • The Democratic Majority for Israel had spent $2 million on TV advertising and other media opposing Turner and supporting Brown as of July 29.[9]
  • Third Way spent $255,000 on digital advertising opposing Turner as of July 29.
  • The Working Families Party Independent Expenditure Committee had spent $153,000 on canvassing and digital ads supporting Turner as of July 27.[9]

Endorsements

Click below for endorsement lists from candidates' campaign websites, where available:

This section includes noteworthy endorsements issued in the primary, added as we learn about them. Click here to read how we define noteworthy primary endorsements. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Democratic primary endorsements
Endorsement Brown Turner
Newspapers and editorials
cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer editorial board[10]
Elected officials
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio)
Rep./House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.)
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.)
Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.)
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.)
Rep. David Trone (D-Md.)
Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Tx.)
Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands)
Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)
Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.)
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.)
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.)
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)
Rep. Jesus Garcia (D-Ill.)
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D)
Ohio Senate Democratic Leader Kenny Yuko
Individuals
Former Sec. of State/2016 presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton (D)
Former Gov. Ted Strickland (D)[11]
2020 presidential candidate/2021 New York
City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang (D)
2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson (D)
Organizations
Democratic Majority for Israel
Jewish Democratic Council of America
Cleveland Teachers Union 279 American Federation of Teachers
Congressional Black Caucus PAC
Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC
Justice Democrats
MoveOn
Democracy for America
Our Revolution
Progressive Democrats of America
Working Families Party
Sunrise Movement
Akron DSA
Done Waiting PAC
Women's March Win[12]
The Black Contractors Group, Inc
Bricklayers Local Union No. 5
Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council
Association of Heat & Frost Insulators & Allied Workers Local 3, Cleveland, OH
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades
Pipe Fitters Local Union No. 120
The Ohio State Association of Plumbers & Pipe Fitters
Laborers Local 310
The Boilermakers Union, Local Lodge 744
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers & Helpers
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 38
Ohio Laborers District Council
Journeyman Plumbers Union Local 55
SMART
Sheet Metal Workers Local 33
United Auto Workers Region 2B[13]
Amalgamated Transit Union
Bakers, Confectionary, and Tobacco Workers Union Local 19
CWA Local 4340
International Association of Black FireFighters
SEIU Local 1199
SEIU Local 1
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union
National Nurses United
IUE-CWA


2014

See also: Ohio secretary of state election, 2014

Turner ran for Ohio Secretary of State in 2014. Turner won the Democratic nomination in the unopposed primary on May 6, 2014.[14][15] Republican incumbent Jon Husted sought and won re-election. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

Results

General election
Secretary of State of Ohio, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJon Husted Incumbent 59.8% 1,811,020
     Democratic Nina Turner 35.5% 1,074,475
     Libertarian Kevin Knedler 4.7% 141,292
Total Votes 3,026,787
Election results via Ohio Secretary of State

2012

See also: Ohio's 11th Congressional District elections, 2012

Turner initially declared an intent to run for election to the U.S. House in 2012. However, she dropped her bid before the primary.[18]

2010

See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2010

Turner ran unopposed for election to the Ohio State Senate.[19] She was also unopposed in the primary election on May 4, 2010.[20][21][22] The election took place on November 2, 2010.

Ohio State Senate, District 25
Candidates Votes Percent
Green check mark transparent.png Nina Turner (D) 77,987 100.00%

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Nina Turner did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Turner's campaign website stated the following themes.

COVID Recovery

“I’m running for Congress because I want an America as good as its promise. The people of Ohio-11 deserve a government that prioritizes the dignity of working people at the center of the pandemic response.”

  • Ensure all communities have access to the COVID-19 vaccines
  • Provide recurring federal relief for families and businesses that is fairly distributed to everyone
  • Raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour
  • Create nationwide PPE workplace safety standards
  • Continue the moratorium on evictions

Medicare for All

“We live in a country where our veterans are living on the streets without treatment for service-related mental health issues; we have people who are too afraid to go out and see a doctor because they can’t afford it; and we have Black women dying in childbirth at disproportionate numbers in the 21st century. This is America and this is unacceptable!”

  • Provide everyone in America comprehensive health care coverage without premiums, deductibles, copays or surprise bills through a Medicare for All system
  • Prevent drug companies and insurers from gouging patients
  • Invest in infrastructure so every community has real access to health care
  • Quantify and eliminate health care disparities

Economic Justice

“We want our WHOLE DAMN DOLLAR!”

  • A living wage that adjusts for inflation
  • Strengthen and expand unions
  • Equal pay for equal work
  • Expand workplace protections for the LGBTQIA+ community by passing the Equality Act
  • Make credit and banking services available to all communities
  • Make the ultra-wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share
  • Increased protections and employment opportunities for our disabled community

Expanded Public Education

"The public education system needs to be shored up, and we have to invest our tax dollars to ensure that a child will not be discriminated against or treated differently because of the zip code they live in."

  • Increase federal and state funding for early childhood education and child care, public schools and educators, and community schools and afterschool programs
  • Ensure the right of teachers and their unions to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions
  • Free public college and cancel student debt

Housing as a Human Right

“We are on the edge of a housing crisis like no other. Federal, state and local governments must recognize that housing is a human right. We can start by extending the ban on evictions during a deadly pandemic and quickly act to make sweeping investments in affordable housing.”

  • Include substantial investments in new affordable housing construction
  • Effectively address homelessness
  • Minimize gentrification and protect communities
  • Allow all communities the opportunity to build intergenerational wealth through homeownership

Reimagining Public Safety

"The criminal justice system is inherently unjust to Black and Brown people. We need to completely reimagine how we do policing in this country and while we are at it, let’s fix the entire system from the judiciary to the streets."

  • Implement alternatives to incarceration where appropriate
  • End mandatory minimum sentencing and the death penalty
  • Legalize marijuana
  • Create national policing and use of force standards
  • Ensure law enforcement accountability
  • End for-profit prisons and immigration detention centers
  • Bail Reform

Environmental Justice

"One thing that we do have in common as human beings, and not just in our country, but all across the world, is that we need a stable environment. We need Mother Nature – we need Mother Earth – to be well, and we are making her sick."

  • Clean water, clean food and clean air for all
  • Create millions of good paying jobs by re-inventing our energy and transportation systems through a Green New Deal
  • Strengthen national parks and natural lands[23]
—Nina Turner’s campaign website (2021)[24]

Campaign ads

"Self Serving" - Turner campaign ad, released July 20, 2021
"Surprised" - Turner campaign ad, released July 14, 2021
"Truth" - Turner campaign ad, released July 8, 2021
"Soccer" - Turner campaign ad, released July 1, 2021
"Worry" - Turner campaign ad, released July 1, 2021
"Bones" - Turner campaign ad, released July 1, 2021
"All of US" - Turner campaign ad, released May 18, 2021
"Grandson" - Turner campaign ad, released May 17, 2021
"Voice" - Turner campaign ad, released April 27, 2021


Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Turner served on the following committees:

Ohio committee assignments, 2013
Rules
Transportation
Civil Justice
Commerce and Labor
Education
Insurance and Financial Institutions

2011-2012

2009-2010

Campaign donors


BP-Initials-UPDATED.png The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.



Nina Turner (Ohio) campaign contribution history
Year Office Result Contributions
2014 Ohio Secretary of State Defeated $1,679,496
2010 Ohio State Senate Won $69,122
Grand total raised $1,748,618
Source: [[25] Follow the Money]

2014

Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. See the table below for more information about the campaign donors who supported Nina Turner.[26] Click [show] for more information.

2010

In 2010, Turner raised $69,122.[27]

Listed below are primary contributors.

Donor Amount
SEIU HEALTH CARE DISTRICT 1199 $5,000
OHIO ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES $5,000
PERKINS, MARK $4,500
BROWN, SHONTEL M $2,500
OZANNE CONSTRUCTION $1,765

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Ohio

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Ohio scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.






2014

In 2014, the 130th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 7 through December 31.

Legislators are scored based on their votes on women’s issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2013


2012


2011

Notable endorsements

The following table shows a list of notable endorsements made by this individual or organization. The list includes presidential, congressional, gubernatorial, state legislative, and other notable candidates. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Notable endorsements by Nina Turner
Endorsee Party Race
Bernie Sanders source Democratic Party President of the United States (2016)
Bernie Sanders source Democratic Party President of the United States (2020)

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Turner and her husband, Jeffrey, have one child. They currently reside in Cleveland, Ohio.[29]


See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. News 5 Cleveland, "Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announces date for special election to fill Marcia Fudge's 11th Congressional seat," March 18, 2021
  2. CNN, "Senate confirms Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as HUD secretary," March 10, 2021
  3. The Hill, "Shontel Brown gaining ground against Nina Turner in Ohio: poll," July 23, 2021
  4. 4.0 4.1 cleveland.com, "Bernie vs. Biden? Liberal vs. establishment? The 11th Congressional District race is much more complex than the national narrative of late: Analysis," July 24, 2021
  5. Inside Elections, "House Ratings," June 18, 2021
  6. OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  7. OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  8. National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 ProPublica, "Ohio’s 11th District House Race - 2022 cycle," accessed August 2 ,2021
  10. cleveland.com, "Nina Turner in the Democratic primary for the 11th Congressional District," July 4, 2021
  11. Twitter, "Shontel Brown on July 28," accessed August 2, 2021
  12. The Hill, "Women's March endorses Nina Turner in first-ever electoral endorsement," July 27, 2021
  13. WKYC, "Local United Auto Workers chapter endorses Shontel Brown for open U.S. Congress seat in Ohio," March 30, 2021
  14. Cleveland.com, "Ed FitzGerald and Nina Turner crack first draft of Ohio Democrats' statewide slate for 2014," March 27, 2013
  15. The Republic, "State senator from Cleveland launches 2014 challenge to Ohio elections chief Husted," July 1, 2013(Archived)
  16. Cleveland.com, "Ohio AFL-CIO backs Ed FitzGerald for governor," October 7, 2013
  17. Greenwich Time, "EMILY's List endorses Ohio Democrats in 2014," October 10, 2013(Archived)
  18. Cleveland.com, "State Sen. Nina Turner drops congressional primary bid against Rep. Marcia Fudge," accessed January 16, 2012
  19. Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio Senate: Results for November 2, 2010," accessed June 10, 2014
  20. Ohio Secretary of State, "State Senate - Results for Democratic Primary: May 4, 2010," accessed June 10, 2014
  21. Ohio Secretary of State, "State Senate - Results for Republican Primary: May 4, 2010," accessed June 10, 2014
  22. Ohio Secretary of State, "State Senate - Results for Libertarian Primary: May 4, 2010," accessed June 10, 2014
  23. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  24. Nina Turner’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed July 20, 2021
  25. Follow the Money, "Career fundraising for Turner, Nina," accessed June 10, 2015
  26. Follow the Money.org, "Home," accessed May 7, 2021
  27. Follow the Money, "2010 campaign contributions," accessed June 10, 2014
  28. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 6, 2014(Archived)
  29. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bio


Political offices
Preceded by
'
Ohio State Senate District 25
2008–January 5, 2015
Succeeded by
Kenny Yuko (D)