Progressive Ohio Congressional candidate Nina Turner blamed 'evil money' for her loss Tuesday night to Shontel Brown, a moderate Democrat supported by Hillary Clinton who said she'd back President Joe Biden and his agenda.
'I am going to work hard to ensure that something like this doesn't happen to another progressive candidate again,' Turner said. 'We didn't lose this race, evil money manipulated and maligned this election.'
Turner got pilloried by $1.2 million in super PAC ads from the group Democratic Majority for Israel.
She lost the race by nearly 6 points - receiving 44.5 per cent of the vote to Brown's 50.2 per cent.
Her 'we didn't lose this race' quip garnered comparisons to former President Donald Trump's 'frankly, we did win this election' line on social media.
David Sirota, a journalist-turned-Bernie Sanders adviser, floated the theory that Turner lost because voters prefer a 'corporate government.' Turner, he said, 'ran a brave campaign.'
Ohio Congressional candidate Nina Turner, who's politically aligned with Bernie Sanders and AOC, said in a concession speech Tuesday night, 'We didn't lose this race, evil money manipulated and maligned this election'
David Sirota, a journalist-turned-Sanders adviser, blamed Turner's loss on voters preferring 'corporate government.' Turner ran against a $1.2 million campaign from the super PAC Democratic Majority for Israel
'More Dem voters supported her corporate opponent not just because an overwhelming amount of super PAC money was spent to destroy Nina, but also because in general more Dem voters want a corporate government than something else. This is reality,' Sirota wrote.
Turner's race went similar to Sanders' 2020 run - with moderate Democrats eventually coalescing around a more mainstream candidate - in this case, the current president.
Brown ran as a candidate who would support Biden. Beyond receiving Clinton's endorsement, she had the support of Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn, the kingmaker whose endorsement gave Biden a victory in South Carolina's presidential primary, thus saving his White House bid.
She will face Republican Laverne Gore in the November election. The Democrat is favored to win.
The primary battle in Ohio's 11th Congressional district became nasty as Democrats battled over who would replace Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge, who Biden named as his housing secretary.
The two special House elections in Ohio on Tuesday tested both political parties: Donald Trump's sway on the Republican Party and the moderate and liberal divisions among Democrats.
Shontel Brown, backed by Hillary Clinton and Rep. Jim Clyburn, beat a progressive favorite to win a crowded Democratic primary in an Ohio House race
Democrats were at war in the primary in the 11th Congressional district - Bernie Sanders endorsed Nina Turner, a progressive favorite
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has also endorsed Turner and campaigned for her in Cleveland last month
Brown and Turner emerged as the leading contenders among 13 Democrats running in the 11th district.
Big name Democrats flooded the district.
Clyburn was in to campaign for Brown while Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez stumped for Turner.
Brown, a member Cuyahoga County Council, has touted her support for Biden and his agenda.
Turner is a former state senator and a leading Sanders supporter. She already has a national profile among progressives, who see her as a needed force in Washington D.C. to counter Biden's more moderate tendencies.
Sanders,
