2021 Ohio's 11th congressional district special election

On December 8, 2020, it was announced that Marcia Fudge would resign from her seat in the United States House of Representatives if confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Biden administration. Based on the Constitution of Ohio, the governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, is responsible for calling a special election to fill out the remainder of Fudge's seventh full term (eighth term overall) in Congress.[1][2][3][4]

2021 Ohio's 11th congressional district special election

TBD
Ohio's 11th congressional district
Incumbent U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge Democratic

Per Ohio law, the primary will likely be held on May 4, 2021 (concurrent with regularly-scheduled primaries), with the special election held on either August 3, 2021 or November 2, 2021.[5]

Democratic primary

By early January 2021, former state senator Nina Turner, Cuyahoga County councillor Shontel Brown and Cleveland city councillor Jeff Johnson had all announced their campaigns. Turner was perceived as the progressive candidate in the race, while Brown was thought of as a moderate. Johnson portrayed himself as ideologically in-between the two other candidates.[6]

Declared

• John E. Barnes Jr., former state representative[7]
• Shontel Brown, Cuyahoga County councillor and chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party[8]
• Jeff Johnson, Cleveland city councillor and former state senator[8]
• Shirley Smith, former state senator[9]
• Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution, former state senator, former Cleveland city councillor, and nominee for Ohio Secretary of State in 2014[10]

Potential

• Jawanza Colvin, pastor[8][11]
• Blaine Griffin, Cleveland city councillor[8]
• Dennis Kucinich, former U.S. representative from Ohio's 10th congressional district, former mayor of Cleveland, candidate for President of the United States in 2004 and 2008, and candidate for Governor of Ohio in 2018[8]
• Brad Sellers, mayor of Warrensville Heights and former professional basketball player[12]
• Emilia Sykes, Minority Leader of the Ohio House of Representatives[8]
• Terrence Upchurch, state representative[8]

Endorsements

Nina Turner

U.S. Senators

• Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont (2007–present) and candidate for President in 2016 and 2020[13]

U.S. Representatives

• Cori Bush, U.S. Representative from MO-01 (2021–present)[14]
• Ro Khanna, U.S. Representative from CA-17 (2017–present)[14]

Statewide officials

• Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota (2019–present); U.S. Representative from MN-05 (2007–2019)[14]

State legislators

• Eric Kearney, former Ohio State Senator from District 9 (2005–2014)[15]
• Sandra Williams, Ohio State Senator from District 21 (2015–present)[15]
• Kenny Yuko, Ohio State Senator from District 25 (2015–present); Minority Leader of the Ohio Senate (2017–present)[15]

Mayors

• Randall Woodfin, Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama (2017–present)[13]

Notable individuals

• Charlamagne tha God, radio presenter, television personality, and author[14]
• Ben Cohen, businessman, activist, and philanthropist[16]
• Danny Glover, actor, film director, and political activist[14]
• John Iadarola, talk show host, YouTube personality, and political pundit[16]
• Killer Mike, rapper, songwriter, actor, and activist[14]
• Shaun King, writer, civil rights activist, and co-founder of Real Justice PAC[13]
• Chuck Rocha, political consultant, Democratic Party strategist, former union organizer, and president of Solidarity Strategies[17]
• Mark Ruffalo, actor and producer[13]
• Susan Sarandon, actress and activist[13]
• Paula Jean Swearengin, environmental activist; candidate for U.S. Senate from West Virginia in 2018 and Democratic nominee in 2020[13]
• Andrew Yang, entrepreneur and philanthropist; candidate for President in 2020; candidate for Mayor of New York City in 2021[13]
• Cenk Uygur, former candidate for California's 2020 25th congressional district special election, journalist, creator of The Young Turks, and co-founder of Justice Democrats[18]
• Krystal Ball, journalist and political pundit; host of 'Rising' on The Hill[19]
• Sam Seder, actor, political commentator, and host of The Majority Report with Sam Seder[20]

Organizations

• Democracy for America[21]
• Justice Democrats[22]
• Our Revolution[14]
• The People for Bernie Sanders[23]
• Progressive Democrats of America[24]
• Working Families Party[25]

Results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John E. Barnes Jr.
	Democratic	Shontel Brown
	Democratic	Jeff Johnson
	Democratic	Shirley Smith
	Democratic	Nina Turner
Total votes

References

1. Eaton, Sabrina (December 8, 2020). "President-elect Joe Biden picks Rep. Marcia Fudge to be Housing and Urban Development secretary, report says". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
2. O'Keefe, Ed; Erickson, Bo (December 8, 2020). "Biden to nominate Marcia Fudge to lead Department of Housing and Urban Development". CBS News. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
3. Shear, Michael D.; Kaplan, Thomas; Glueck, Katie (December 8, 2020). "Presidential Transition Live Updates: Biden Picks Marcia Fudge for Housing Secretary and Tom Vilsack to Lead U.S.D.A." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
4. Zeleny, Jeff; Merica, Dan; Sullivan, Kate (December 8, 2020). "Biden expected to nominate Rep. Marcia Fudge as secretary of Housing and Urban Development". CNN. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
5. "Lawriter - ORC". codes.ohio.gov. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
6. Hannan, Sheehan (February 3, 2021). "The Race To Replace Rep. Marcia Fudge In Congress Continues". Cleveland Magazine. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
7. Richardson, Seth (February 4, 2021). "Former state Rep. John Barnes Jr. launches bid for 11th Congressional District". The Plain Dealer.
8. Richardson, Seth A. (December 10, 2020). "Shontel Brown, Jeff Johnson announce bids, Nina Turner files paperwork for Marcia Fudge's seat as list of potential candidates balloons". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
9. Richardson, Seth A. (January 19, 2021). "Shirley Smith, former Ohio senator, announces bid for 11th Congressional District". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
10. Richardson, Seth A. (December 15, 2020). "Nina Turner announces bid to succeed Marcia Fudge in Congress". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
11. Otterbein, Holly; Thompson, Alex (December 8, 2020). "Bernie co-chair Nina Turner eyes Fudge seat". Politico. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
12. Kosich, John (December 9, 2020). "Interest in Rep. Marcia Fudge's Congressional seat grows as she's expected to move to Biden Cabinet post". WEWS-TV. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
13. Wilkins, Brett (December 15, 2020). "'Let's Do This!': Progressive Powerhouses Swiftly Endorse Nina Turner After She Announces House Run". Common Dreams. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
14. Otterbein, Holly (December 15, 2020). "Top liberals line up behind Nina Turner's House bid". Politico. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
15. Easley, Jonathan (December 15, 2020). "Nina Turner announces bid for House seat". The Hill. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
16. "Nina Turner Interview On Her Run For Congress!". The Damage Report. December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
17. "Panel: Is 'Squad' About To Get Backbone With Nina Turner In Congress?". The Hill. December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
18. Uygur, Cenk; et al. (December 16, 2020). "Nina Turner Talks To TYT About Congressional Campaign". YouTube. The Young Turks. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
19. "Nina Turner On ForceTheVote: All Tools On The Table". YouTube. The Hill. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
20. "Sam Seder & Majority Report on Nina Turner campaign". YouTube. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
21. "Democracy for America : DFA endorses Nina Turner in Ohio's 11th Congressional District special election". www.democracyforamerica.com. October 1925. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
22. Krieg, Gregory (January 11, 2021). "Justice Democrats endorse top Sanders ally Nina Turner to fill Ohio House seat". CNN.
23. The People for Bernie Sanders [@People4Bernie] (December 15, 2020). "BREAKING: IT'S HAPPENING - @ninaturner has announced her run for U.S. Congress if Marcia Fudge is confirmed as Secretary of HUD Fundraising begins NOW: secure.actblue.com/donate/snt-website-splash?refcode=p4b #OH11" (Tweet). Retrieved December 21, 2020 – via Twitter.
24. "Nina Turner for Congress!". Progressive Democrats of America. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
25. Working Families Party [@WorkingFamilies] (February 1, 2021). "Working Families Party could not be more proud to endorse @ninaturner for Congress! She is precisely the kind of candidate we need, one committed to fighting hard for an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy" (Tweet). Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via Twitter.

External links

• John E. Barnes Jr. (D) for Congress
• Shontel Brown (D) for Congress
• Jeff Johnson (D) for Congress
• Shirley Smith (D) for Congress
• Nina Turner (D) for Congress