(Cleveland) - A bitter battle between two candidates in a 13-person race came down to a victory for Shontel Brown in the Democratic primary for 11th District Representative in Congress. Laverne Gore won the Republican nomination.
All the attention in this special primary was focused on Brown and challenger Nina Turner, the two of whom far outspent the 11 other Democrats on the ballot. Brown portrayed herself as supporting President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and their positions. Turner positioned herself as a Progressive Democrat, getting support from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Alexandria Octavio-Cortez (D-New York). The race was also filled with mudslinging, primarily in advertising from political action committees.
The Ohio Secretary of State reports that together, Brown and Turner received 94,7% of the vote from Democrats, with Brown winning with 50.1% of the vote, and Turner with 44.52%. The only other candidate with more than 1.000 votes was former Cleveland Councilman and former State Senator Jeff Johnson.
Laverne Gore won the Republican primary with a wide victory over Felicia Washington Ross.
Brown and Gore will face off in the November election for the right to fill the remainder of Marcia Fudge's seat in the U.S. House. Most political observers would say that Brown is the major favorite to win in November. The 11th Congressional district, which includes the east side of Cleveland, some eastern suburbs, and a small stretch that goes down to Akron. Evidence of Democrat domination in the 11th District shows in the fact there were 15 times as many Democratic votes Tuesday as there were Republican votes.
The 11th District seat opened up when former Rep. Marcia Fudge was appointed as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The winner in November will hold the 11th District seat until the 2022 election.
Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
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