Democrat Rep. Shontel Brown (OH), who won the special election last November, crushed her far-left-backed primary challenger, Nina Turner, according to the Associated Press at 10:22 p.m. EDT.
Brown appeared to protect her newly won seat Tuesday night from Turner after winning the special election for Ohio’s 11th Congressional District last November, when the two previously faced off. At the time the race was called, Brown received 63.4 percent of the vote compared to Turner’s mere 36.6 percent.
The special election was to initially fill the seat left by former Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), who stepped down to become President Joe Biden’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
The district was heavily tilted toward Democrats, for whom this election was a battle between far-left candidates and the party’s traditional powerbrokers.
Brown has not been in Congress and has the advantage of campaigning with members such as South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the most senior black member of Congress and the majority whip, and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). She was also endorsed by President Biden.
But Brown’s colleagues in the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Capitol Hill’s most radical group of members, had reportedly questioned endorsing the incumbent. Ultimately, Brown did not receive the endorsement but is “in good standing” with the caucus, according to the sole leader of the group, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).
In comparison, Turner received a late endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and was the lead surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) failed presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020. In doing so, Sanders, along with many of the top leftist activist groups, endorsed Turner.
This “second-try upset” for Turner will undoubtedly be a blow to the far-left base, as Brown makes it through the primary.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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