SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
election 2021
FEC Sued for 'Failing to Protect Georgia Voters' From Illegal Campaign Activity
"Georgia voters need reassurance that their rights to vote will always be respected and that our federal institutions won't neglect their duties to enforce the law," said one activist, noting the midterms.
Oct 11, 2022
With less than a month before the U.S. midterm elections, a watchdog group on Monday sued the federal regulatory agency responsible for enforcing campaign finance law over "failing to protect Georgia voters."
"This is yet another example of the FEC refusing to enforce our nation's campaign finance laws."
The Campaign Legal Center Action (CLCA) filed suit against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of Common Cause Georgia.
The lawsuit follows the FEC's three GOP commissioners dismissing a March 2021 complaint from CLCA and Common Cause Georgia alleging illegal coordination between the nonprofit True the Vote--founded by Catherine Engelbrecht, who's known for spreading voter fraud conspiracy theories--and the state Republican Party during the 2021 U.S. Senate runoff.
"The FEC's dismissal of this administrative complaint was based on critical errors of law and cannot be sustained," argued Megan McAllen, director of campaign finance litigation at CLCA, in a Tuesday statement. "This is yet another example of the FEC refusing to enforce our nation's campaign finance laws even in the face of significant evidence the law was violated."
"Failing to hold political actors accountable for their abuses of campaign finance law does immense damage to the anti-corruption and transparency objectives that those laws were designed to serve," she continued. "We urge the court to recognize that this dismissal was contrary to law and send the case back to the FEC so the agency can do its job."
FEC Chairman Allen Dickerson, along with Commissioners Sean Cooksey and Trey Trainor, blocked an investigation into the allegations against True the Vote and the Georgia Republican Party.
Dickerson and Trainor said in a statement explaining their decision that True the Vote's "election integrity initiatives were equally available to all" and evidence shows the group "was pursuing these initiatives--and would have continued to do so--regardless of Engelbrecht's meeting with the Georgia GOP."
Referencing True the Vote's post-meeting public comments about partnering with the Georgia Republican Party to "ensure that the law is upheld and law-abiding voters have their voices heard," Dickerson and Trainor claimed the language "had a colloquial and not a legal significance" and there is nothing to suggest the group "undertook any of its activities 'in cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of' the Georgia GOP."
As Insider reported last month:
The FEC's nonpartisan legal office reached a markedly different conclusion.
In a 56-page report recommending an investigation, the FEC general counsel pointed to past statements in which Engelbrecht said True the Vote's efforts were intended to "assist with the Senate runoff election process" and were motivated by "what happened in November," an apparent reference to the 2020 presidential election.
"True the Vote's efforts were undertaken in partnership with the Georgia GOP, a committee whose fundamental purpose is to help Republicans win elections in Georgia, and it appears that a goal of these particular efforts was to influence the election by challenging absentee voter registrations," the FEC general counsel's office said.
Insider noted that "representatives from True the Vote did not immediately respond to requests for comment."
Common Cause Georgia executive director Aunna Dennis said Tuesday that "we were pleased that the FEC's nonpartisan Office of General Counsel agreed that there was reason to believe violations occurred."
"The FEC's three Republican commissioners rejected that recommendation, however, and failed to stand up for hundreds of thousands of Georgia voters by letting True the Vote off the hook for their illegal attempts to undermine people's votes in 2021," she asserted.
Dennis added that "we have another important election just weeks away and Georgia voters need reassurance that their rights to vote will always be respected and that our federal institutions won't neglect their duties to enforce the law."
The Democratic candidates, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, won Georgia's U.S. Senate seats in 2021, giving their party narrow control of the chamber. Warnock is up for reelection this year and is locked in a tight race against his scandal-plagued GOP opponent, Herschel Walker.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Major Police Overhaul Goes Down in Minneapolis, But Austin and Cleveland Advocates Notch Wins
"It's a long road to liberation and our journey doesn't begin or end with Question 2," said one campaign group in Minneapolis.
Nov 03, 2021
Advocates of a push to amend Minneapolis' city charter and replace the city's police department with a "public health-oriented" Department of Public Safety were undeterred from their fight for far-reaching reform on Wednesday after their proposal failed to win a majority of voters' support, while activists in other U.S. cities celebrated victories against powerful law enforcement structures.
"Regardless of tonight's outcome, there's broad agreement that Minneapolis residents want more tools for public safety. There's also consensus that the status quo is not an option."
The grassroots group Black Visions Collective applauded the "historic" Yes on 2 campaign, which helped push nearly 44% of Minneapolis voters to support Question 2 after launching a petition to demand the question be included on the ballot.
"Despite an aggressive oppositional campaign, resourced by the Police Federation, corporate-backed white liberals like Jacob Frey and conservative black elites, the people of Minneapolis fought for and won the chance to take back our power," said Black Visions Collective. "It's a long road to liberation and our journey doesn't begin or end with Question 2."
"Passing legislation or electing candidates isn't our only measure of success," the group continued. "Our people reclaiming their ability to govern is a victory. Our people reclaiming their ability to name safety is a victory. Our people committing to moving toward a world beyond police is a victory."
Garnering the support of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the ACLU, and national grassroots organization People's Action, the Yes on 2 campaign pushed to end minimum police staffing numbers for Minneapolis and to give the City Council oversight over a proposed Department of Public Safety. According to the language on the ballot, the department's public health-focused staff "could include licensed peace officers (police officers), if necessary."
"You actually can staff the department the way that meets the needs of the people," campaign spokesperson JaNae Bates told NPR in October. "We wanted to really be centered and focused on the safety of human beings."
Proponents of bold reforms to policing applauded the campaign for the traction it managed to gain in the city.
"In the dead of winter, organizers collected 22,000 signatures from across the city to put this amendment on the ballot," said People's Action Movement Politics director Brooke Adams and TakeAction Minnesota executive director Elianne Farhat. "Black organizers and activists have worked toward this for years before 2020, and the work for a better future where everyone can feel safe in their communities will continue."
"Regardless of tonight's outcome, there's broad agreement that Minneapolis residents want more tools for public safety," added Adams and Farhat. "There's also consensus that the status quo is not an option."
Radley Balko, author of "Rise of the Warrior Cop" and a Washington Post columnist, called the level of support campaigners garnered for a "radical reorganization" of policing in Minneapolis "pretty remarkable."
The demand for an end to the status quo regarding policing was evident in a number of other cities including Austin, where voters overwhelmingly rejected a measure to hire hundreds more police officers--which would have required major budget cuts in other areas including firefighting, emergency health services, and libraries, according to opponents.
"It's past time we as a society reimagine the role of police."
Sixty-eight percent of Austin voters rejected Proposition A, which was pushed by Save Austin Now, a group co-founded by the Travis County Republican Party chair. The group raised $1.7 million in its effort to add to the city's 1,600-strong police force.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler, a Democrat, said the election reaffirmed "our community's belief that public safety for all requires a comprehensive system that includes properly staffing our police, but also our fire, EMS, and mental health responses as well."
"Austin's culture and values were on the ballot tonight," Adler said on Election Night. "At our core, we are an innovative, caring, and creative community."
With the corporate media widely reporting that police reform was rejected in Minneapolis, ACLU deputy national political director Udi Ofer predicted that Proposition A's defeat in Austin--by a wider margin--would receive little national attention.
Voters in Cleveland, Ohio also made clear their demand for more police accountability, approving a plan to establish a Civilian Police Review Board that would investigate reports of police misconduct. The proposal, known as Issue 24, passed by a margin of 59% to 41%.
The measure was endorsed by groups including Black Lives Matter Cleveland and the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus, as well as Cleveland Mayor-elect Justin Bibb, a Democrat who won his election Tuesday night.
"We can't keep making this a false choice between good and effective law enforcement and police accountability," Bibb told local news outlet 3News. "We can do both. I believe trust is the biggest thing to do to make sure we have safety and security and residents trust police. Without it, you don't get safety."
Jeff Follmer, president of the local police union, accused Cleveland voters of approving a "vengeful" initiative that would "be the downfall of Cleveland." Issue 24 was proposed months after the U.S. Department of Justice declined to prosecute Cleveland officers in the police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014.
"We are grateful for the generosity, courage, and leadership that the directly impacted families have shown in heralding this historic change for Cleveland," said the ACLU of Ohio. "It's past time we as a society reimagine the role of police."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'When We Organize, We Win': Ocasio-Cortez Joins India Walton at Rally in Buffalo
The two progressives joined striking hospital workers on the picket line at Mercy Hospital after the early voting rally.
Oct 23, 2021
A line outside Town Ballroom in Buffalo, New York on Saturday stretched all the way down a city block and around the corner as residents arrived for an early voting rally hosted by Democratic candidate for mayor India Walton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and other progressive leaders.
Early voting began at noon in the city's mayoral race, which has gained national attention following the victory of Walton, a democratic socialist, in the June primary.
Ocasio-Cortez urged supporters in the crowded theater to commit to text-banking, phone-banking, and bringing other voters to the polls with them, saying that victories like Walton's are what helps to make the passage of bold policy proposals possible at the national level.
"When people say universal child care's not possible, guaranteed healthcare is not possible... They say post-industrial cities cannot do that anymore, they don't want to do that anymore... Buffalo is taking that excuse away."
"The only reason that the Democratic Party in Washington has even believed and felt and started rallying around universal child care in the United States is because a city did it first," Ocasio-Cortez said. "New York City, we came out and we said we're going to have universal pre-K... But it's not good enough for us to just have it in New York City."
As mayor, Ocasio-Cortez said, Walton will secure far-reaching, universal policies to benefit lower- and middle-class Buffalonians--priorities which Brown has dismissed as "radical" and which the corporate media has said since the congresswoman's own surprise victory in 2018 would not win over voters in Midwestern and Rust Belt cities like Buffalo.
"We're taking away all the excuses," said Ocasio-Cortez. "When people say universal child care's not possible, guaranteed healthcare is not possible, the labor movement is too anemic and it will never be what it once was... They say post-industrial cities cannot do that anymore, they don't want to do that anymore... Buffalo is taking that excuse away."
Walton ran in the primary against incumbent Mayor Byron Brown, a Democrat with close ties to real estate developers in Buffalo who refused to debate his challenger and has since launched a write-in campaign which has had significant support from the right.
The congresswoman noted that in addition to Walton's progressive campaign--centered on providing affordable housing, establishing Buffalo as a sanctuary city, developing a climate action plan for the city, and other initiatives to promote the wellbeing of lower- and middle-class residents--Buffalo is currently home to two of the major workers' rights actions that are energizing the labor movement across the country.
Starbucks employees in the Buffalo area are pushing to establish the coffee chain's first union, while hospital workers represented by Communications Workers of America (CWA) have been on strike in the city since the beginning of October.
Walton and Ocasio-Cortez joined the CWA workers on the picket line following Saturday's rally.
In recent days, Walton has won endorsements from New York Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who replaced Andrew Cuomo, a close ally of Brown's, has so far not endorsed either candidate.
On Saturday, The Buffalo News reported that under the Brown administration, the city's urban renewal agency has given $20 million in public funds to the mayor's contributors as well as awarding exclusive development rights to some of his donors, without going through a public bidding process.
"This is corruption at its finest," said Walton on social media. "Federal money meant to serve our community has gone to line the mayor's pockets. We cannot afford another four years of corruption at City Hall."
To the crowd at the early voting rally, Walton said, "When we organize, we win."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Nina Turner's Loss Is Oligarchy's Gain
Turner's defeat is a victory for an array of wealthy individuals and corporations alarmed at her willingness to challenge such corporate powerhouses as Big Pharma, insurance firms and the fossil-fuel industry.
Aug 04, 2021
The race for a vacant congressional seat in northeast Ohio was a fierce battle between status quo politics and calls for social transformation. In the end, when votes were counted Tuesday night, transactional business-as-usual had won by almost 6 percent. But the victory of a corporate Democrat over a progressive firebrand did nothing to resolve the wide and deep disparity of visions at the Democratic Party's base nationwide.
One of the candidates--Shontel Brown, the victor--sounded much like Hillary Clinton, who endorsed her two months ago. Meanwhile, Nina Turner dwelled on the kind of themes we always hear from Bernie Sanders, whose 2020 presidential campaign she served as a national co-chair. And while Brown trumpeted her lockstep loyalty to Joe Biden, her progressive opponent was advocating remedies for vast income inequality and the dominance of inordinate wealth over the political system. Often, during the last days of the campaign, I heard Turner refer to structural injustices of what she called "class and caste."
If the Democratic Party establishment thinks the defeat of Turner has turned back the progressive upsurge, it's mistaken.
A major line of attack from Brown forces was that Turner had voted against the party platform as a delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Left unsaid was the fact that nearly one-quarter of all the convention delegates also voted 'no' on the platform, and for the same avowed reason--its failure to include a Medicare for All plank.
Scarcely mentioned in media coverage of this race is that Ohio has an "open primary," and Republicans received public encouragement to cross over and vote in the Democratic primary. We may never know how many GOP voters took the emphatic advice from the likes of right-winger William Kristol and voted for Brown to help beat Turner.
"Reminder: Tuesday's Democratic primary is effectively the general election, and all registered voters can vote in the Democratic primary," Kristol tweeted on July 29. "Just request a Democratic ballot." After sending out a similar tweet on Sunday, he got more explicit via Twitter at dawn on Election Day: "To Akron, Beachwood, Cleveland, Shaker Heights, etc.: Today's OH-11 primary is in effect the general election. The choice is a radical leftist or a Biden Democrat, @ShontelMBrown. Any registered voter--including independents & Republicans--can request a Democratic primary ballot."
Prominent Republicans didn't only pitch in with targeted messaging. Some GOP-aligned donors kicked in big bucks, such as Donald Trump's billionaire pal Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots in the NFL, who personally maxed out at $5,800 to Brown's campaign and whose family gave a total of more than $20,000.
Tacitly aligned with the Republican likes of Kristol and Kraft in zeal to boost Brown and defeat Turner was the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus, augmented by House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, the highest ranking African-American in Congress. Caucus leaders and Clyburn were busy traveling around Ohio's 11th Congressional District last weekend, singing Brown's praises and aiming darts at Turner.
President Biden is popular in the district, and Brown's forces were intent on framing the choice as pro-Biden or anti-Biden. Days ago, Cleveland's CBS affiliate reported that the race "has largely come down to Brown, who has positioned herself as the 'Biden candidate,' and Turner, who has enjoyed the support of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders." An NBC affiliate asserted that national media and outside groups had made the race "a contest between loyalty to President Biden's agenda and a more progressive wing of the party."
Turner's defeat is a victory for an array of wealthy individuals and corporations alarmed at her willingness to challenge such corporate powerhouses as Big Pharma, insurance firms and the fossil-fuel industry. The relentless and often defamatory advertising barrage against Turner was mainly funded by huge contributions from such vested interests to two outfits, Democratic Majority for Israel and Pro-Israel America, which placed the attack ads.
If the Democratic Party establishment thinks the defeat of Turner has turned back the progressive upsurge, it's mistaken. Just this week, successful organizing led by Congresswomen Cori Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez forced Biden's hand, pushing him to extend an eviction moratorium that otherwise would have expired. Bush, AOC and other strong progressives--including Jamaal Bowman, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Mondaire Jones--got to the House by winning Democratic primaries, often ousting entrenched corporate-friendly Democrats in the process. Next year, many Democratic incumbents will face potentially serious primary challenges from the left.
Turner's vigorous critiques of Biden, especially a crude one last summer, provided very useful fodder for ads attacking her. But foes didn't have much to say about the transformative policies that she champions.
A continuing political reality is that most voters are in favor of policy positions that progressives keep fighting for. In the Brown-Turner race, that reality was largely obscured as Turner's opponents relentlessly attacked her in personal terms, citing--and often twisting--her outspoken record of criticizing top Democratic Party leaders for failing to walk the walk of their platitudes.
Turner's vigorous critiques of Biden, especially a crude one last summer, provided very useful fodder for ads attacking her. But foes didn't have much to say about the transformative policies that she champions. Reporting on her defeat, Politico noted that "the moderate attacks against Turner did not take aim at the progressive proposals she supports, such as Medicare for All or a Green New Deal--an indication they are popular with the base."
In a statement released late Tuesday night, Turner looked ahead to the future of progressive populism, saying: "We will continue this journey until every working person earns a living wage, including passing a $15 minimum wage. We will continue this journey until every person has health care as a right and not a privilege. We will continue this journey until children's destinies are not determined by their zip code or the color of their skin. We will continue this journey until we have torn down racism, sexism, homophobia, religious bigotry and every kind of hatred and discrimination. We will continue this journey until justice is equal for every person in this country. And this journey will continue until we have ensured that this planet will be habitable for our children and our grandchildren. So, my friends, it is OK to be sad tonight. But tomorrow we must roll up our sleeves and continue the fight to which we are all committed."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Conceding Defeat in Ohio Special Election, Nina Turner Says 'Our Justice Journey Continues'
"We are going to continue to travel all over this country to ensure that progressives are not left alone when evil lurks. Until justice rings for all, justice rings for none."
Aug 04, 2021
Promising to continue the fight for justice that animated her campaign, Nina Turner conceded defeat Tuesday night to establishment opponent Shontel Brown in the special election to fill a vacant seat in Ohio's 11th congressional district, marking the close of a heated Democratic primary fight that drew national attention and a late torrent of super PAC cash.
"Tonight my friends, we have looked across the promised land, but for this campaign, on this night, we will not cross the river," Turner, a former Ohio state senator, said in her concession speech. "Tonight, our justice journey continues, and I vow to continue that journey with each and every one of you."
"We are going to continue to travel all over this country to ensure that progressives are not left alone when evil lurks," she continued. "Until justice rings for all, justice rings for none."
At press time, Turner trailed Brown by just under six percentage points. Business owner Laverne Gore prevailed in the Republican primary, but she stands little chance of overtaking Brown in Ohio's solid-blue 11th congressional district.
Bolstered by strong grassroots fundraising and the support of both national progressive organizations and local leaders, Turner appeared to be in control of the race early on, with internal polling showing her with a massive lead over Brown and other Democratic contenders.
But the contest's momentum shifted as establishment forces quickly consolidated behind Brown, the chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party. In June, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.)--the third-ranking Democrat in the House--threw his support behind Brown, as did former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
The political arm of the Congressional Black Caucus soon followed, touting Brown's "commitment to affordable and quality healthcare, strong unions, fair wages, and a thriving public school system." While Brown has said she would support Medicare for All legislation if it reaches the House floor, she has also criticized the proposal as an attempt to "eliminate employers from providing care for their employees."
HuffPost's Daniel Marans argued Tuesday that "the most important factor of all" behind Brown's late surge "was an influx of outside support from the pro-Israel super PAC Democratic Majority for Israel," a group founded by longtime Democratic pollster Mark Mellman and bankrolled by an oil and gas executive. The organization has also received money from Republican donors.
"At the end of June, the group initiated a $1.9-million TV, digital, and field effort attacking Turner and bolstering Brown," Marans noted, a push assisted by a $500,000 digital campaign by Third Way, a corporate-backed Democratic organization.
Last month, Democratic Majority for Israel circulated mailers falsely characterizing Turner as an opponent of a higher minimum wage, universal healthcare, and immigration reform. Former Ohio Democratic Party chair David Pepper said at the time that the mailers were a "bankrupt and twisted" attempt to "fool people into thinking she holds the opposite views."
In a tweet late Tuesday, Turner said her campaign was unable to "overcome the influence of dark money."
"We knew this would be an uphill battle from the moment we started this campaign," Turner wrote. "While we didn't cross the river, we inspired thousands to dream bigger and expect more."
The youth-led Sunrise Movement, which endorsed Turner in May, applauded the progressive firebrand for running a campaign that centered "a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, raising the minimum wage, and more."
"Thank you Senator Turner for running a people-powered movement," the group added. "Big donors and PACs fought to keep your progressive values out of Congress, but the fight isn't over. We're committed to doing what it takes to ensure we pass a Green New Deal to make a better world for all of us."
Keep ReadingShow Less
With Election Days Away, Bernie Sanders Headlines Get-Out-the-Vote Rally for Nina Turner
In his keynote speech, Sanders said corporate interests are pulling out all the stops to defeat Turner because "they know that when she is elected, she is going to stand up and take them on in the fight for justice."
Jul 31, 2021
Just days out from the closely watched August 3 Democratic primary contest in Ohio's 11th congressional district, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont headlined a get-out-the-vote rally in Cleveland on Saturday for progressive candidate Nina Turner, whose grassroots campaign is facing an establishment opponent backed by high-profile party leaders and corporate cash.
In his keynote speech at the event, Sanders spotlighted Turner's ambitious policy platform and argued that--if she prevails in the special election against Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Chair Shontel Brown--the Ohio progressive would play a significant role ushering much-needed legislation through the narrowly divided Congress.
"Nina will stand with me in saying that today, we've got to expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing aids, and eyeglasses," said the Vermont senator. "But Nina knows... that we have got to go further than that, and join every other industrial country--guarantee healthcare to all through a Medicare for All, single-payer program."
Sanders went on to note "the incredible amount of money that the powerful special interests of this country are spending trying to defeat Nina." As The Intercept reported earlier this week, well-heeled donors "with long histories of support for Republican candidates" are bankrolling Brown's campaign either directly or through Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), a political action committee that has resorted to falsely portraying Turner as an opponent of a higher minimum wage, universal healthcare, and immigration reform.
"Why is it that the drug companies, the insurance companies, the fossil fuel industry, and Wall Street, and people who supported Donald Trump are pouring millions of dollars into this campaign to defeat Nina Turner?" Sanders asked Saturday. "And the answer is pretty simple: They know that when she is elected, she is going to stand up and take them on in the fight for justice."
The rally also featured speeches by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Cornel West, one of the nation's foremost public intellectuals.
"Who's willing to serve everyday people? Nina Turner," West said in his characteristically fiery remarks, grabbing and pointing to an audience member's campaign sign.
"She represents the best of love, of freedom, of wounded-healing, of joy-spreading, and that is a moral and a spiritual achievement that's not just about politics," West continued. "And that's why we can say to some of our brothers and sisters who are part of the corporate wing of the Democratic Party with their milquetoast neoliberalism: We want vision, integrity, we want a focus on the least of these, the poor, the working class, everyday people."
The special election to fill the seat left vacant by former Rep. Marcia Fudge--who is now serving as head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development--has become a proxy battle between national progressive forces and the Democratic establishment, which has thrown its support behind Brown in the waning days of the campaign.
Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, endorsed Brown late last month, just two weeks after erstwhile Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton announced her support for the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party chair. Clyburn is reportedly flying into Ohio this weekend to stump for Brown.
Turner, meanwhile, has won the backing of prominent progressive lawmakers and advocacy groups, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), the youth-led Sunrise Movement, Justice Democrats, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the nearly 100-member Congressional Progressive Caucus.
A former Ohio state senator, Turner has also racked up endorsements from local lawmakers and the state's largest newspaper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
According to OpenSecrets, the special election is shaping up to be the most expensive House race of the year. Turner "has held a consistent fundraising lead, raising $3.8 million total," the outlet noted last week in an analysis of campaign finance data. Turner's campaign has touted its strong support from small-dollar donors.
"Turner's top supporters included the Service Employees International Union PAC, the Amalgamated Transit Union PAC, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, contributing $5,000 each," OpenSecrets found. "She also received support from the Medicare for All PAC, a leadership PAC associated with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and the Rooted in Community Leadership PAC."
As the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported last weekend, "much of Brown's support this election has been aided by the Israel lobby."
"Aside from DMFI PAC, more than $536,000 of Brown's total fundraising has come through Pro-Israel America PAC," the newspaper observed. "Another pro-Israel PAC, NORPAC, has collected around $49,000 for Brown."
In her speech at Saturday's rally, Turner declared that her "people-centered agenda has some people very afraid," pointing to the super PACs attacking her campaign.
"Why are they spending all that money on little ol' me? I just want to know. Inquiring minds want to know," Turner said. "And I'm so glad you asked. They like the way things are now. They like it that so few people have so much and so many people have so little. They like a healthcare system that lets them pick our pockets or our pocketbooks and people can't get healthcare. They profit from a system of tax cuts for the rich. They do not want an America as good as its promise, and they are investing millions to ensure that our voices are silenced."
"Well let me tell you something 11th congressional district," Turner continued. "We're going to make sure that they understand that big money can't defeat big ideas and conscious-minded people."
Following the rally, Turner, Sanders, West, and Ellison led a march to the polls, which are currently open for early voting.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Nina Turner Primary Opponent Shontel Brown Facing Felony Ethics Probe
"This is certainly a shocking revelation and it raises very serious ethical and legal questions," says Kara Turrentine, Turner's deputy campaign manager.
Jul 27, 2021
Progressives on Tuesday reacted with a total lack of surprise to a report that Shontel Brown--the Cuyahoga County, Ohio councilmember running against former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner in next week's special primary election for Ohio's 11th Congressional District seat--has been referred to state ethics officials following accusations of felony corruption.
Newsweek reports the office of the Ohio Auditor reviewed allegations published in April by The Intercept that Brown, who is also the county Democratic Party chair, "had voted to award millions worth of contracts to companies connected to her romantic partner and campaign donors."
According to Newsweek:
The Intercept reported in April that Brown, who had pledged to recuse herself "as necessary" from contracts involving her partner, Mark Perkins, had used her position as Cuyahoga County commissioner to help steer $17 million in contracts to [Cleveland-based general contractor] Perk. Perk was founded with Perkins' uncle but is now owned by the Cifani family, who have long-established business ties to the Perkins family and who have supported Brown's campaigns for office. The Intercept noted that in February 2017, weeks after approval of one of those contracts for $7 million, Perk hosted a fundraiser for Brown's reelection campaign.
A June 2 email from the auditor's Special Investigations Unit said that "the recommendation by the Special Audit Task Force was to refer this matter to the Ohio Ethics Commission for its review and consideration."
Newsweek continues:
Under Ohio law, public officials are prohibited from knowingly authorizing or using their authority or influence "to secure authorization of any public contract in which the public official, a member of the public official's family, or any of the public official's business associates has an interest."
Violation of the statute is a felony, and penalties can include prison time.
Kara Turrentine, Turner's deputy campaign manager, told the Washington Examiner that "this is certainly a shocking revelation and it raises very serious ethical and legal questions."
Turner supporters were not surprised by the revelation. The progressive advocacy group RootsAction tweeted that "Shontel Brown has gotten strong support from corporate lobbyists and outside groups like [DMFI PAC], a pro-Israel super PAC whose biggest donor is an oil and gas executive, and Third Way, who is currently encouraging states to cut unemployment benefits."
Third Way's honorary co-chairs include conservative Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).
"Oh look," tweeted Bad Faith podcast host Briahna Joy Gray, "another corrupt corporate candidate."
In addition to benefiting from campaign contributions from billionaires, business lobbyists, supporters of former President Donald Trump, and outside groups, Brown enjoys strong backing from the Democratic Party establishment. She has been endorsed by prominent centrists including Hillary Clinton and House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who played a pivotal role in President Joe Biden's triumph over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the 2020 Democratic primary. Turner served as national co-chair of Sanders' 2020 campaign, and was president of the Sanders-linked Our Revolution PAC.
As Common Dreams reported last week, Sanders is set to headline a get-out-the-vote rally for Turner along with Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Cornel West on Saturday, three days before Ohioans head to the polls to vote in the special election that will likely decide who will occupy the House seat left open by former Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), who now leads the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Keep ReadingShow Less
As Progressives Eye Potential 'Jolt of Momentum,' Nina Turner Nabs Women's March Endorsement
"This isn't about Nina versus any opponent; this is about the people versus big money."
Jul 27, 2021
Progressive firebrand Nina Turner was endorsed on Tuesday by the Women's March, a development that came a week out from the special Democratic primary in Ohio's 11th Congressional District.
The endorsement was first reported by The Hill, which said the announcement was released by the group's super PAC, Women's March Win.
According to The Hill, the announcement marks "the group's first-ever electoral endorsement." It will likely not be the last, however. Women's March executive director Rachel O'Leary Carmona--who called Turner "phenomenal"--told the outlet her group is eyeing "contentious races like this as progressives and Democrats really are grappling with what it looks like to build out the future that works for all Americans."
Turner, a former member of the Cleveland City Council, Ohio state senator, and a national co-chair for the 2020 presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), has already been endorsed by a number progressive groups in her bid for the seat left open by former Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, who now leads the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Groups including Justice Democrats, MoveOn, and the Sunrise Movement point to Turner's platform, which includes a Green New Deal and Medicare for All, as the kind of transformative change the nation needs.
Progressive and left-leaning members of Congress have also thrown their support behind Turner.
That group includes Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Speaking at a Cleveland rally on Saturday to campaign for Turner, Ocasio-Cortez framed the Ohio race in broad terms. "This isn't about Nina versus any opponent; this is about the people versus big money," she said.
Sanders is set to headline a get-out-the-vote rally for Turner on July 31.
The Democratic establishment, meanwhile, has been throwing support for Turner's main opponent, Shontel Brown, who's the leader of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party.
Should Turner win the race, it "would infuse progressives with a jolt of momentum, inspiring candidates and donors ahead of a cycle of immense opportunity," Politico reported Tuesday.
"We would send a strong message," Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), a member and former co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who's endorsed Turner, Politico. "When people see that's a path, we can have more candidates, period."
In a Monday tweet, Pocan suggested individual contributions to Turner's campaign would help "beat back at ugly dark money" that's been dumped into the race to defeat her.
"Don't let the special interests win," Pocan wrote. "She's a good progressive."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Hello Somebody!' Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Campaigns for Nina Turner in Cleveland
"I think it's extremely clear that Nina Turner is the candidate in this race that answers to the people of Ohio first and foremost."
Jul 25, 2021
In a congressional primary race that's been framed as part of a broader battle for the future of the Democratic Party, Nina Turner has won not only an endorsement but on-the-ground support from one of the most high-profile progressives in the U.S. House of Representatives: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was in Cleveland on Saturday to campaign for Turner, a former member of the city's council as well as the Ohio state Senate. More recently, Turner served as a national co-chair for the 2020 presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is also backing her bid to represent Ohio's 11th Congressional District.
"This isn't about Nina versus any opponent; this is about the people versus big money," Ocasio-Cortez said at a Saturday event. "This is a deep blue seat. It's a deep blue seat. Districts like Ohio's 11th should be leading the country on issues. They are opportunities, they are very rare opportunities, very rare districts like this one that can take and be visionary."
Asked why she endorsed Turner, Ocasio-Cortez told the local 3News, "I think it's extremely clear that Nina Turner is the candidate in this race that answers to the people of Ohio first and foremost."
"She has supported, she has worked in this community, she has served in this community, and she understands this community's needs, and she is a candidate that I think can be trusted to bring people's voices to Washington," the congresswoman added.
While early voting started more than two weeks ago for the crowded primary with 13 candidates, Turner's main opponent is Shontel Brown, who chairs the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party and serves on the county's council. Brown has been endorsed by key establishment figures including Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the majority whip.
On Saturday, as Brown canvassed on Cleveland's West Side, Turner and her supporters also knocked on doors in the city and suburban Cleveland Heights.
"Canvasses are where the fight gets won," Ocasio-Cortez said at a launch event. "Right here, this is where the work happens and I love being where the work happens--where we actually get our hands dirty in the work of knocking on our doors and having conversations with our neighbors and building actual community. There's no replacement for that."
"We're knocking on doors that have never been knocked," Turner tweeted Sunday. "Ohioans who've been left behind and excluded from the democratic process."
"Young folks. Black and Brown folks. Working-class folks. They're not hard to reach--they're hardly reached," she continued. "It's time to expand the electorate."
Another nationally known progressive in Congress is planning to visit Ohio to support Turner next week. Sanders is set to travel to Cleveland and deliver a keynote speech at a get-out-the-vote rally for the candidate on July 31.
Sanders, who endorsed Turner the same day she formally announced her candidacy in December, has said that "she deeply cares for working families and she has the heart to be an effective, unwavering fighter for them in Congress."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Bernie Sanders to Headline Nina Turner Rally in Ohio Days Before Primary
The progressive House hopeful says she is proud to be joined in Cleveland by Sanders, who "sparked a movement that shifted what is possible in American politics."
Jul 21, 2021
Sen. Bernie Sanders will travel to Ohio at the end of the month to headline a rally for House candidate Nina Turner just days ahead of the August 3 Democratic primary, her campaign announced Wednesday, two weeks into the early voting period.
Sanders (I-Vt.) will deliver a keynote speech at a get-out-the-vote rally for Turner on July 31 at Cleveland's Agora Theatre and Ballroom. After the rally, there will be a march to the polls.
Turner is one of several Democrats running to represent Ohio's 11th Congressional District, a seat that Marcia Fudge left to serve as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Turner was previously a member of the Cleveland City Council and Ohio state Senate.
The candidate has a well-established relationship with Sanders; she supported both of his runs for president and even served as a national co-chair for his 2020 campaign. Sanders quickly backed Turner when she announced her bid for the House seat in December.
Sanders, in a tweet endorsing Turner, said that "she deeply cares for working families and she has the heart to be an effective, unwavering fighter for them in Congress."
In a Wednesday statement announcing Sanders' upcoming trip, Turner painted him as a role model.
"Sen. Sanders sparked a movement that shifted what is possible in American politics," she said. "I am proud to be joined by Sen. Sanders in my hometown of Cleveland. He has shown that one can be a principled partner to the president in moving forward an agenda that centers the poor, working poor, and the barely middle class."
Though there are a dozen other candidates on the ballot, Turner's main opponent in the race is Shontel Brown, who chairs the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party and has won the support of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well as Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the majority whip.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that with this election, "the voters of Ohio's 11th District will render that judgment and with it, some indication of the direction the Democratic Party is heading: toward the defiant and progressive approach Ms. Turner embodies or the reserved mold of its leaders in Washington, shaped more by the establishment than the ferment stirring its grassroots."
Turner believes in Medicare for All and housing as a human right. She is running on calls for economic and environmental justice, expanding public education, reimagining public safety, and Covid-19 recovery policies that include raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, providing families and businesses with recurring relief, creating nationwide personal protective equipment (PPE) workplace safety standards, and continuing a federal moratorium on evictions.
Sanders told the Times that Turner "would be a real asset for the House," adding that "she is a very, very strong progressive, and I hope very much she is going to win."
Other supporters of Turner include actors and activists Danny Glover, Mark Ruffalo, and Susan Sarandon; the Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial board; more than 50 elected officials in her state; over 40 progressive groups; dozens of faith leaders; and 14 other current members of the U.S. House or Senate--including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who plans to campaign for the candidate in Ohio on Saturday.
" Nina Turner has shown through years of public service that she is an effective legislator who can build coalitions and get things done without sacrificing her principles," Ocasio-Cortez said earlier this month. "She has the courage to ask for more and the skills to deliver. I can't wait to travel to Ohio to knock doors for Nina Turner and help turn out the vote."
Keep ReadingShow Less
See More
Most Popular
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy