Sanders to campaign for Turner in Ohio

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will campaign for Nina Turner in the final leg of Ohio’s special election in the 11th Congressional District.

The Vermont senator will be in the Buckeye State on July 31, just days before the Aug. 3 Democratic primary. 

Turner’s campaign announced the news on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.

According to a Turner aide, Sanders will deliver a hybrid keynote address at a mobilization rally on behalf of the progressive House candidate and will finish off the day with a “march to the polls.”

The two outspoken progressives are former election-era colleagues and close personal friends. In 2020, she served as the co-chair of Sanders’ presidential campaign.

Sanders’s presence in the battleground state is likely to add another element to the national eyeballs that are already closely following the race. Whoever wins the primary is expected to also win the general election due to the district’s solidly blue trend.

The canvassing push comes as fellow left-wing Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) is also scheduled to travel to the state on behalf of Turner in the coming days.

If elected, Turner is expected to join the Congressional Progressive Caucus, of which Ocasio-Cortez is a member in the House. Sanders is aligned with the group in the Senate.

The forthcoming stumping from progressives also takes place as Turner’s opponent, Shontel Brown, has racked up her own series of influential endorsements who are ready to hit the ground in Cleveland and the surrounding areas. 

Perhaps the most well-known officeholder, Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), is planning to campaign for Brown before early August. Hillary Clinton has also endorsed her bid.

The race is an open primary for Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge’s former seat. She vacated her position in Congress after being confirmed for her current role.