From Cleveland.com
Nina Turner changes her mind on Hillary Clinton, endorses Bernie Sanders for president
Nina Turner, the former state senator from Cleveland and a top Ohio Democratic Party official, is ditching Hillary Clinton in favor of Bernie Sanders.
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The move comes as a surprise -- and a blow for Clinton. Turner had been among her most enthusiastic cheerleaders in the Buckeye State and nationally. She was involved early with the Ready for Hillary super political action committee that promoted Clinton as a presidential candidate before the former U.S. secretary of state launched her campaign.
Turner spoke last fall in New York and earlier this year at a Cleveland fundraiser for the now-defunct organization. In June, she spoke at a grassroots-organizing event for the Clinton campaign in Cleveland. She also had served on the board of Correct the Record, another pro-Clinton super PAC but recently severed ties.
Turner stressed that Clinton did not lose her support so much as Sanders had earned it, and her switch had nothing to do with the controversy over Hillary’s email server.
More from Politico:
Ohio's Nina Turner jumps from Clinton to Sanders
“I'm very attracted by his message and his style and that he has held pretty much strong on his beliefs and the world is catching up with him," Turner said about Sanders, who she formally endorsed Thursday.
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"Sen. Turner is a star in the Democratic Party. Bernie is very proud to have someone with so much talent and commitment join the grassroots campaign to fix the rigged economy propped up by a corrupt campaign finance system," Michael Briggs, Sanders' communication director said in a statement emailed to POLITICO.
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"She is nationally known as a voice for voting rights, for workers' rights and for marginalized people. The support of someone with that record of standing up for middle-income and working people is tremendously important," [campaign manager Jeff] Weaver said in a statement emailed to POLITICO.
More from MSNBC:
While Turner no longer holds elected office, her endorsement is still a notable pickup for Sanders and addresses two of his biggest weakness: A lack of endorsements from Democratic officials and limited support from African-American voters.
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Turner currently serves as the Ohio Democratic Party’s engagement chair, but she will take a leave of absence to work for Sanders. Turner will start this weekend in Iowa, where she’ll speak on Sanders’ behalf around the second Democratic presidential debate here. She will also introduce him at a rally in Ohio next week.
Good New for Team Bernie.