Cuyahoga Politics Today
Candidate’s return home will raise District’s profile, heighten the stakes
By R.T. Andrews
She hasn’t won an election for anything in over a decade, and the last time her name appeared on a ballot was in 2014, when her candidacy for Secretary of State was part of a statewide ticket that cratered from top to bottom, but if you watched the rollout of former state senator Nina Turner’s declaration of candidacy for a Congressional seat that is not yet vacant, you know that star power has come to Cleveland and its 11th District.
Turner left town in 2015 in bold and shocking
fashion when she very publicly shifted her allegiance from Hillary Clinton, the
presumptive favorite for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, to the
insurgent Bernie Sanders, because his campaign more closely aligned with her
principles.
If I say many of her fans felt betrayed and
effectively burned her political jersey in effigy, then you know what’s coming
next. Turner
took her native political talents to the national stage where she performed
under the brightest lights, the harshest scrutiny, and against the toughest
competition. She performed in leading roles and was regularly center stage in
the high stakes production of two national political campaigns. In between, she
headed a dynamic national political organization for several years and spent
frequent time as a commentator on national television networks.
Long
story short, Turner left town on a mission, learned what it takes to compete at
the highest level, sharpened her skills, developed a team of loyalists, and in
the process built a national fan base.
Yesterday,
flanked virtually by a carefully selected array of former legislative colleagues, current
public officials, and Hollywood star power in Danny Glover, Turner announced from
her home in Cleveland’s Lee-Harvard community, that she was running to succeed
Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, who will vacate the seat if confirmed as Secretary
of Housing and Urban Development for the incoming Biden administration. The
event was impeccably scripted, the production values were tight, the presentations were
succinct, coordinated, and on point, and the candidate was at her most radiant,
composed, and centered. (She obviously understands the suburban voters she will need to
win over to broaden her base.)
Clearly, like
another prominent prodigal Northeast Ohioan, Turner has returned better
equipped to pursue the brass ring.
By
law, Gov. Mike DeWine would set dates for special primary and general elections
if Fudge resigns. The winner of the special general election would serve until
December 31, 2022.
Turner,
53, joins county councilwoman Shontel Brown, 45, and former state senator and
ex-Cleveland city councilman Jeff Johnson, 62, as announced candidates to
succeed Fudge. The field will undoubtedly expand when and if a vacancy in fact
occurs.
Make
no mistake: Turner’s candidacy, while anticipated, irreversibly changes the
dynamics of the race in many ways.
First
and foremost, Turner’s presence assures the race will be about policies and
ideas. Atypical of most local politicians of any stripe, the Turner brand is
associated with big policies and big ideas. She will force discussion of critical
issues like healthcare, public education, affordable housing, food insecurity,
living wage, income inequality and public transportation in any candidate
forums. The candidates who have not prepared themselves adequately to debate
these issues will likely find themselves exposed, if not overwhelmed.
Notwithstanding
Turner’s presence in the race, she is by no means a shoo in. Her presumptive
status as front runner in an incomplete field will have no value when the votes
are tallied.
Indeed,
Turner herself may become an issue. A passionate person who inspires many, she
also incites fierce opposition on both personal and policy matters. Some
suburban white women may never forgive Turner for her perceived abandonment of
gender solidarity when she left the Clinton plantation for Sanders.
Businesspeople who applauded Turner’s courage as a solitary African American
advocate for county reorganization in 2009 will be appalled by the prospect of
an unapologetic leftist representing the District. And Cleveland’s staid black
political establishment, a low expectations bunch, are unlikely to appreciate
Turner’s disruptive force.
So,
assuming that Fudge leaves office in the next 45 days or so, expect the
following:
· The race to succeed her
will draw the most national attention to a local political contest since Carl
Stokes was elected mayor in 1967. It’s already begun.
· Anti-Turner forces will
coalesce around an ABT candidate. (Anybody But Turner)
· Many disengaged eastside Cleveland voters, who once comprised the District's heart, will find their concerns
center stage.
· A spirited special Congressional contest will impact next year’s mayoral race in Cleveland, possibly accelerating a wholesale changing of the guard.
And in a wild off the cuff prediction: do not be surprised if northeast Ohio’s original prodigal child, who now reigns in Los Angeles, but whose childhood home is part of the District’s crazy Akron tail, and who has become widely respected for his willingness to speak out politically from his platform of fame and fortune, finds a candidate to endorse in the race.
• • •• • •
1 comment:
I'm a Big Fan!
Post a Comment