"We need Nina. Nina is what I need. Please send Nina! Ocasio Cortez gave a pep talk last weekend at an event and handed the microphone to Turner.Turner said, "Only all we love is on line, that's everything that matters,"A Turner victory in the District, which Marcia Fudge left to become Joe Biden’s housing secretary, would give progressives a boost of momentum and inspire donors and candidates ahead of a cycle full of great opportunity. Redistricting ahead and the retirements that will accompany it will weaken the power of incumbents.A loss would be devastating, however, because Turner started the race with a strong head start, buoyed equally in part by her time as a Cleveland City Council member and in the Ohio State Senate. She also has a national role as a Sanders supporter and cochair of his last campaign.Turner stated that Turner felt more pressure because of his position in the movement. "And that is something I fully understand."Ocasio-Cortez launched canvass launches and phone banking across the district Saturday, one day after Turner received a visit by Ben Jealous, former president of NAACP. Up next weekend: Sanders, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and the Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.Her most formidable opponent, Shontel Brown (Cuyahoga County Councilwoman), has some notable backers: Hillary Clinton, the political arm the Congressional Black Caucus and House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., and Fudge's mom, who made a TV ad supporting Brown's campaign.The stark differences in the two parties, the progressives supporting Turner and the party establishment supporting Brown, have made the race a proxy war for feuding elements of the Democratic Party and heightened tensions."Nina Turner's win in this race is crucial to the future development of this region." Jealous stated that it is vital for the future of the party while stumping in the district.However, the establishment was unable to win this seat in the beginning.With the support of Sandersworld fans, Turner raised more than $275,000 within the first 24 hours of the campaign. She surpassed the $4.5million mark by mid-July. From May, her own polling showed that she had 50 percent of the vote and Brown only 15 percent.Turner's fame was evident when she knocked on doors last weekend. Several voters were star struck by Turner's appearance at their doorstep. Two of them told her that it had made their day. Turner said, "I'm just an humble public servant." Turner was not impressed when a voter claimed she had never met a celeb.The van is large and white, with a large cardboard cut of her face as an antenna. She frequently travels around the neighborhood in it. You can see phrases such as "tax the billionaires" or "good trouble" on the sides.However, the same outspokenness which made her a star at Sanders rallies also gave detractors ammunition.After Sanders' defeat, Turner has criticized the Democratic Party and considered Jill Stein as her running mate for 2016. Four years later, Turner compared voting in favor of Joe Biden to eating a bowl full of excrement.Brown cites accomplishments such as managing the Covid relief fund in the area and providing Wi-Fi hotspots to students who are doing virtual learning. In an interview, Brown suggested that Turner was more focused on other things.Brown stated that people should be respectful of the fact that she has been doing this work in the same district for nine years consecutively while she was traveling the country," Brown said during an interview at Cleveland Heights' campaign barbecue that featured a DJ and cupcakes featuring her photo.Despite being more contentious about the race, the two women rarely make subtle digs at each other on the stump. Brown stated that she wants to make "headway, not headlines" and suggested that Turner should begin her time in Congress by apologizing to past statements. Turner stated, "I believe that it's the opposite." "People will have to apologize to my."Turner had spent months suggesting that Brown was "a puppet for the establishment", but Brown responded: "A puppet's a person who's been performing and delivering catchphrases such as 'Hello somebody'," she said, referring to Turner's famous line. "I am a public servant."Turner's lead has almost disappeared in recent weeks. Multiple polls show the race is in the single digits. A super PAC, Democratic Majority for Israel (DPA), has smashed Turner with more than $750,000 in radio and TV ads.Brown's supporters are a mix of older voters and the large Jewish community in the district, who are wary of Turner’s position on Israel-U.S. Relations. This coalition will likely vote more often, while Turner will have to recruit young supporters with lower propensities for a midsummer election.The race has become a bit of an obsession in the last days between rival Democratic Party power-players. Next weekend, Clyburn and other Black members of the caucus will attend an event in Brown's honor at the same place and on the exact same day as Sanders’ rally for Turner.Liberals would be able to use a Turner win to boost their morale and counter the moderate victories of the past six months.Terry McAuliffe's re-election bid was defeated by several progressive candidates in the primary to Virginia's governorship. Eric Adams defeated candidates to his left in New York's June mayoral primary. In a Louisiana special congressional elections last spring, now Rep. In a runoff, Troy Carter defeated progressive Karen Carter Peterson.This was done to feign fear that the progressive movement may have lost some urgency after Trump's ouster."The stakes are high in this race. "If Turner wins, it will put some juice behind Bernie’s efforts to push Biden for the full $3.5 trillion Budget," stated Sean McElwee (co-founder of a liberal polling outfit), referring to Senate Democrats' proposal for infrastructure. "If Turner loses I believe there will be a sense among progressive organizations that we need to be a bit more serious about actually contesting these races."Next year, there is a great chance to make big gains. Redistricting will push dozens of incumbents into new and unfamiliar territory. The 2012 cycle saw the departure of two long-serving incumbents, Rep. Matt Cartwright (Pa.) and Rep. Beto Ol'Rourke (Texas).The Progressives' target-list for incumbent Democrats includes Reps. Kurt Schrader, Danny Davis (D–Ill.), Jim Cooper and Carolyn Maloney.Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., pauses as she speaks with Reps. Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Presley (D-Mass.). listen during a news conference. Alex Wroblewski/Getty ImagesRedistricting and retirements have created safe, open Democratic seats that are more secure than ever. Already, progressives are looking at the districts that were vacated by the late Rep. Alcee Hastings, Rep. Val Demings (who is running for Senate), and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (a 15-term incumbent from Texas who will likely retire).A win in the district next week is safe Democratic. The party's nominee for the November special election will be the overwhelming favorite, which could lead to even more recruits."We would send a strong signal," said Rep. Mark Pocan (D.Wis.), a leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus that endorsed Turner. "When people see that there's a way, we can have more candidate, period."Turner's charismatic stage presence and proclivity to speak her mind would make her a prominent member of "The Squad", a group of progressives who call themselves Congressmen. Its members include Ocasio-Cortez (D-Mass.) and Reps. AyannaPressley (D-Mass. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Talib (D-Mich.). They were all elected in 2018, and inspired more members to run for office in 2020.They all support Turner's bid to join them and help them grow."I don’t know if if I would have been here if it wasn’t for Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez's win," stated Rep. Jamaal (D-N.Y.), a progressive who defeated an incumbent in last cycle. "I don’t know if my success would have been without Ayanna Pressley's, Ilhan Omar's, or Rashida's wins."He said that it was not only because it galvanized the nation, but because it opened the doors for new conversations.
