'Nina Is a Real Leader Who Fights': Sanders Endorses Turner for Congress

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday endorsed progressive firebrand Nina Turner's campaign for the U.S. House seat in Ohio's 11th Congressional District, calling her a "real leader who fights for higher wages, Medicare for All, and affordable prescription drugs."

"Nina knows the job is more than just voting the right way. It's about leadership."

"I know Nina and I know her heart," Sanders (I-Vt.) said of Turner, who co-chaired his 2020 presidential campaign. "With Nina, we know that she will not be afraid to take on the corporate interests that are driving up the price of gas, food, and just about everything else."

"Nina knows the job is more than just voting the right way," the Vermont senator added. "It's about leadership."

Sanders' endorsement comes less than a month out from the May 3 Democratic primary in Ohio's 11th, where Turner is rematching Rep. Shontel Brown less than a year after the two faced off in a heated race for the House seat vacated by Marcia Fudge, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Turner, a former Ohio state senator, has argued that the circumstances are different this time around, noting that the 2021 contest was an off-year special election--a likely contributor to lower voter turnout.

Turner has also pointed to the torrent of corporate money that poured into last year's race in an attempt to undermine her campaign and bolster her opponent, who was backed by such establishment figures as House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"There was an anybody-but-Nina campaign ran in 2021," Turner toldNBC News earlier this year. "Some of those forces may still decide to get into this race, but what they will not be able to do is totally concentrate [on the Ohio 11th District] because this will not be the only race."

Welcoming Sanders' endorsement, Turner wrote in a series of tweets late Tuesday that the Vermont senator has "sparked a movement in this country that is stronger than ever."

"This movement continues to fight against the special interests who are blocking the president's agenda and holding back progress for the poor, the working poor, and the barely middle class," Turner continued. "In order for this administration and our party to succeed, we need the everyday people of this country to succeed. And that requires a leader who won't hesitate because they take corporate money but instead a change-maker and a fighter."

"I'm running for Congress to be part of a bigger fight," she added. "A fight against the powerful interests holding up important legislation like a $15 minimum wage, permanent expansion of the Child Tax Credit, Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, the PRO Act, expanded Social Security, and paid family leave."