CLEVELAND, Ohio - Congressional candidate Nina Turner, a former Cleveland councilwoman and prior Ohio senator who later served as co-chair of Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign for president and is a front runner in the 11th congressional district race in Ohio to replace former congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge, has announced that she has added the names of four Black state representatives out of greater Cleveland to her long list of endorsements, namely state Reps Phil Robinson Jr. of Solon (D-6), Juanita Brent of Cleveland (D-12), Stephanie Howse of Cleveland (D-11,) and Janine Boyd of Cleveland Heights (D-9).

And with state Sen Sandra Williams, previously endorsing her and coming aboard, Turner now has won endorsements from five of the six Black Ohio legislators of greater Cleveland.

Fudge is now the U.S. Housing and Urban Development secretary in President Joe Biden's cabinet.

State Rep Terrance Upchurch (D-10) of Cleveland has endorsed Shontel Brown, a Cuyahoga County councilwoman and chair of the county Democratic party who has a long list of endorsements too, and is Turner's strongest opponent out of  13  candidates running in  the  special Democratic congressional primary, which is Aug. 3.

Turner is a Clevelander who served as a councilwoman in Cleveland's Ward 1 before becoming a state senator, a position she held prior to serving as a surrogate for U.S. Sen Sanders of Vermont.

Her ties as a former state legislator obviously helped her win  the support of Sen. Williams and the four Blacks state Reps out of greater Cleveland who say she is the best candidate to lead Ohio's 11th congressional district in Congress, among a host of others who have endorsed her too, including congress persons, mayors, unions and Black and other leaders.

Rep Robinson is a newcomer who first won election to the statehouse in 2018, unseating Republican Jim Trakas and flipping the seat from Republican control to Democratically controlled.

Brent was first elected in 2018 and is a newcomer too, and a former community activist.

“There is no other candidate as prepared and experienced as Nina Turner to lead with boldness to fight for the economy, health care, living wage jobs, and protect our growing aging population along with our children," said state Rep Brent.

State Rep Howse said that "as we work to get families back on their feet with affordable childcare, access to broadband internet, and extra protections for our seniors we can trust that Nina Turner will be our voice in Congress to secure these much needed resources. She has a proven track record of getting things done and I am proud to support her campaign.”

Rep. Boyd agreed.

“ I met Nina when I worked as a child advocate and have always known her to be a champion for lifting children out of poverty and ensuring they had the resources needed to be successful. As a former State Senator, Nina Turner knows how to deliver results, even in a majority conservative general assembly. That’s why I support her candidacy and look forward to working with her on behalf of Ohio families," Boyd said.

The special primary general election is set for Nov. 2 where the winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries will square off.

Until then, the congressional seat that Fudge vacated on March 10 to lead HUD after confirmation by the U.S. Senate will remain vacant.

Polls show that Turner is the front-runner  followed by Brown, who is leading in front of former state senators Jeff Johnson and Shirley Smith, and former state Rep. John E. Barnes. Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read Black and alternative digital newspaper and Black blog.Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.