Clyburn-Endorsed Shontel Brown Defeats AOC-Endorsed Nina Turner in Ohio Special Election — By a Lot

Cuyahoga County Councilmember Shontel Brown defeated former State Senator Nina Turner in a special election to fill Housing and Urban Development UD Secretary Marcia Fudge’s seat in Ohio’s 11th congressional district.

The race was marked by high-profile endorsements on both sides, with Ms. Turner backed by progressive heavyweights like New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Ms. Brown received a boost with the endorsement of House Majority Whip James Clyburn in June, an endorsement that highlighted the ideological lines of the race. Whip Clyburn’s endorsement was key to now-President Joe Biden’s victory in the Democratic presidential primary.

Brown was also endorsed by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who fought a bitter primary challenge by Sanders in 2016.

Turner, a Bernie Sanders super-surrogate, famously likened voting for Biden to eating a bowl of excrement. And Brown made her own allegiance to Biden’s policy agenda a key message during her campaign.

In the end, it was not a close race, as Brown defeated Turner by nearly seven points, 50.2 percent to 44.5 percent.

During her concession speech, Turner vowed to press on, telling supporters “We are going to continue to travel all over this country to ensure that progressives are not left alone.”

Brown will go on to face Republican Laverne Gore in the Ohio 11th special general election on November 2, 2021.