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CLEVELAND, Ohio The race to succeed Marcia Fudge in Congress is rapidly coming down to two candidates, each boasting a hefty amount of national, state and local backing.

Big name figures have endorsed both former state Sen. Nina Turner and Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Shontel Brown in the Democratic Primary, a sign of the dividing line thats sprung up. However, the endorsements show that contrary to the national media description of the 11th Congressional District being a Biden-versus-Sanders type race, theres more nuance.

Turner, an ally of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, did garner his endorsement earlier in the race while Brown recently logged that of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, giving more fuel to this being a showdown of the establishment and liberal wings of the party.

But both candidates boast a healthy amount of congressional and local backing that doesnt fit neatly into that mold.

Of the two largest cities in the district Akron and Cleveland Turner and Brown are roughly split on local government endorsements.

Turner has the backing of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Cleveland City Council members Blaine Griffin, Kerry McCormack and Brian Mooney and Akron City Councilmembers Phil Lombardo, Shammas Malik and Tara Samples who was also on her campaign payroll as of the last filing deadline in April.

Supporting Brown are Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, former Mayor Don Plusquellic and Akron City Councilwoman Ginger Baylor and Cleveland City Council members Joe Jones, Kevin Bishop, Basheer Jones, Anthony Hairston and Brian Kazy.

Brown has a clear edge in Cuyahoga County government, with County Executive Armond Budish, County Council President Pernel Jones Jr. and County Council members Dan Brady, Scott Tuma and Sunny Simon.

Turner does not have any members of county government listed in her endorsements on her website, but does boast the backing of the Black Elected Officials of Summit County.

Brown also leads handily in terms of the number of mayors who have endorsed her candidacy, which includes:

-Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell

-Seven Hills Mayor Anthony Biasiotta

-Woodmere Mayor Benjamin Holbert III

-Warrensville Heights Mayor Brad Sellers

-Shaker Heights Mayor David Weiss

-North Randall Mayor David Smith

-Solon Mayor Ed Kraus

-Orange Village Mayor Kathy Mulcahy

-Glenwillow Mayor Mark Cegelka

-Highland Hills Mayor Michael Booker

-Brooklyn Heights Mayor Michael Procuk

-Broadview Heights Mayor Samuel Alai

-Bedford Mayor Stanley Koci

Although logging the mayor of the largest city in the district in Jackson, Turners only other mayoral endorsements are University Heights Mayor Michael Brennan and Newburgh Heights Mayor Trevor Elkins who was also on Turners campaign payroll as of April.

Of the mayors who have endorsed, Turners oversee a population of 395,524 while Browns represent 334,396 including Akron, which is not fully in the district.

Turner has a slight edge when it comes to members of the state legislature:

-Ohio Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko

-State Sen. Sandra Williams

-State Sen. Nickie Antonio

-State Rep. Phil Robinson Jr.

-State Rep. Janine Boyd

-State Rep. Stephanie Howse

-State Rep. Juanita Brent

-State Rep. Mike Skindell

-State Rep. Tavia Galonski

Brown counts the backing of state Reps. Terrence Upchurch and Kent Smith.

Both Turner and Brown have received support from members of Congress as well, though Turner has logged more. Turner has often been backed by all six members of The Squad, a group of the most liberal members in Congress, as well as the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of 91 House members that make up the most liberal branch of the House Democratic Caucus.

Those supporting Turner include Sanders, California Reps. Ted Lieu, Ro Khanna and Katie Porter, Michigan Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Andy Levin, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman and Mondaire Jones, Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Mark Pocan.

Brown counts the backing of Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Columbus Democrat and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Rep. Pete Aguilar, a California Democrat and chief deputy whip of the House Democrats.

While not listed on her website, multiple U.S. House members also headlined a Washington fundraiser for Brown, including G.K. Butterfield of Arizona, Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, Robin Kelly of Illinois, Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Marc Veasey of Texas and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.

Both Turner and Brown also boast a bevy of faith leaders, crucial to political success in the district, especially on the East Side of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Labor has also split on the two, with SEIU Local 1 and 1199, the Communication Workers of America District 4 and Local 4340 and the Amalgamated Transit Union among those supporting Turner. The Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, United Auto Workers Regional 2B, Pipe Fitters Local 120, Laborers Local 310, Boilermakers Local 744, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 38 and Bricklayers Local 5 are among the unions that support Brown.

While both have raced to gather as many endorsements as possible, several high-profile endorsements are still sitting the race out.

The most notable name who hasnt endorsed as of yet is Fudge, one of the highest profile political names in the area who represented the district in Congress for a decade. Fudge was recently named President Joe Bidens Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

While she has not offered her insight into the race, Fudge and Brown have a close relationship. However, a recent violation of the Hatch Act by Fudge and a desire to work with whoever wins the race may prevent her from attaching her name to a candidate.

Other national figures have remained mostly quiet on the race as well, including Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, perhaps not wanting to alienate the eventual winner should they choose the losing candidate.

Locally, Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who lives in the district, has said he has no plans to endorse either.

Shontel Brown, who chairs the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, has said there are currently no plans for an endorsement since the party has never endorsed in congressional primaries in the past. Vice-chairman and City Council President Kevin Kelley, an influential figure in Democratic politics, is also staying out of the race, as required by the by-laws of the party.

Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat who at one point was considering a run for herself, also hasnt made it known who she is supporting.

None of the other 11 candidates have tallied significant national, state or local endorsements.

Ohios 11th Congressional District includes the eastern portion of Cuyahoga County stretching south to Summit County and the West Side of Akron. It is gerrymandered to heavily favor Democrats.

The registration deadline to vote in the Aug. 3 primary is July 6. Early voting for the contest starts July 7.

See more here:
Who is winning the endorsement race in the 11th Congressional District special election? - cleveland.com