By The FirstShe entered the primary as the frontrunner. Now, she’s blaming her loss on outside groups.
Former Bernie Sanders aide and AOC-backed Nina Turner lost to moderate candidate Shontel Brown in a special primary election in Ohio’s 11th Congressional District.
According to The Daily Caller, “[Turner] had the support of well-known figures on the left including Sanders, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the rest of the ‘Squad.’ But [Shontel] Brown, the chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, surged in the final weeks before the special election’s primary, securing major endorsements from the Congressional Black Caucus and figures like Hillary Clinton and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.”
The win is significant for establishment and center-leaning Democrats. It’s also part of a larger, nationwide trend of progressive candidate losses.
“In special elections in Louisiana and New Mexico earlier this year, low-profile moderates trounced both their progressive challengers and Republican opponents alike. In New York City, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is all but certain to become mayor after campaigning on a platform of fighting violent crime and reconnecting police officers with the communities they serve instead of defunding them like some progressives have championed,” Daily Caller reports.
Turner held many unpopular stances, including her support for defunding the police which, according to a recent USA Today/Ipsos poll, only 1 in 5 Americans supports.
