“I’m running for Congress because greater Cleveland deserves a voice for change in Washington—a leader who is on the side of the people, not out for the powerful or out for themselves.” – Nina Turner
Last week, former State Senator Nina Turner announced she will run for Greater Cleveland’s U.S. Congressional district in the 2022 midterm elections. Though the congressional maps are not final, Turner is more committed to serving her hometown and will mount a campaign to represent the newly redistricted Cleveland-based seat.
“When we look over the course of last year, families are still struggling —with higher gas and food prices, stagnant wages and shrinking benefits, while corporations make record profits. We can get an agenda through Congress that puts working families first but it is being blocked by a handful of holdouts. Obstruction of the Democratic agenda is hurting greater Cleveland and as the next Congresswoman, I am going to fight back.”
The campaign released an announcement video, “WHY I’M RUNNING” to highlight the challenges working families are facing during this third year of the pandemic and the competing priorities before Congress.
“America is at a crossroads, wrestling between two futures. Do we sacrifice the poor, the working poor, and the barely middle class to protect the ultra-wealthy? Or do we treat our people as America’s greatest asset and ensure everyone has a real chance to live a good life?”
The video pans through scenes of working families of all backgrounds and across industries. It recognizes the struggles and challenges faced by working people in Greater Cleveland and goes on to address the fierce urgency in providing material solutions to the problems that have burdened Northeast Ohioans for decades.
It also points to immediate threats faced by voters since the last election–from inflation and school closures to the GOP assault on reproductive health and voting rights.
The video ends with a call to action urging voters to choose a fighter who will advocate on their behalf and who will push for solutions that match the scale of the problems,
“These are unprecedented times. Our leaders can’t settle for “just enough”. They must fight for what we deserve.”
Nina Turner, the oldest of seven children, grew up in a working-class family in Cleveland’s Lee-Harvard community. Nina Turner is a former Cleveland City Councilmember, State Senator for Ohio’s 25th district and assistant professor. She co-chaired the Ohio Task Force on Community-Police Relations after which she served as the Chair of Engagement for the Ohio Democratic Party and focused on building Party infrastructure and support for Democrats across the state. Nina Turner earned an associate’s degree from Cuyahoga Community College and a bachelor’s and a master’s from THE Cleveland State University. Nina Turner is nationally known for her work championing progressive values such as a $15 an hour living wage, Medicare for All and expanded public education from Pre-Kindergarten to College during the Bernie Sanders Presidential campaigns of 2016 and 2020.