(CN) — In the city of Cleveland and the smaller, rural communities surrounding Columbus, Ohioans voted in special primaries today to decide who will vie for seats opening up in the House of Representatives.
With Marcia Fudge leaving the House to take a post in President Joe Biden’s cabinet and Steve Stivers resigning to become the President of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio’s 11th and 15th Districts have open seats to fill. The primary elections, held today, showed the divisions within both the Republican and Democratic parties.
Early in the Democratic primary race in the 11th District, two Black women pulled ahead of the packed field to fight for the primary win, each coming from a different arm of the Democratic party.
In the 11th District, which encompasses much of Greater Cleveland and Akron, establishment candidate Shontel Brown won a tight race in an area that is expected to go Blue with 50.4% of the vote. She will face Republican Laverne Gore in November.
At her campaign watch party, Brown said, “As essentially the next member of the 11th Congressional District, the next member of Congress, I can walk in the door with good relationships.”
Brown is a local Democratic party official with the backing of the party establishment. Endorsed by Hilary Clinton, she ran as a moderate Democrat and touted herself as the more reasonable candidate than her competitor, Nina Turner.
But the early favorite in the race was Turner, a former state senator with the endorsement from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who garnered 44.3% of the vote Tuesday. Turner is a left-leaning activist and a vocal supporter of Bernie Sanders who aligns herself with the progressive wing of the party. She has not held back in criticizing traditional Democratic leaders like Hilary Clinton and President Biden, and has made inflammatory statements about Israel.
Last weekend, Bernie Sanders made a visit to the area to stump for Turner.
With national groups and money flooding the race, social media and the airways in Cleveland and Akron were clogged with negative ads. Cleveland City Councilmember Blaine A. Giffin, who supported Nina Turner, told The New York Times, “Nina Turner was running away with this, and people got scared because they don’t like the way she can throw sharp elbows.”
Turner conceded the race to Brown.
"Tonight, my friends, we have looked across the promised land, but for this campaign, on this night, we will not cross the river. I am going to work hard to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen to another progressive candidate again. We didn't lose this race, evil money manipulated and maligned this election," Turner told her supporters.
Heading a couple of hours down the road to the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio’s 15th District Republican primary was crowded with conservatives. Eleven Republicans vied for their place on the November ballot. Most of the district is rural and conservative, and ads for the candidates touted conservative values in an attempt to woo the voters.
Mike Carey, a conservative endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump, won the Republican primary for that district with 37%. He will face Allison Russo, who won the Democratic primary.
"Tonight, Republicans across Ohio’s 15th Congressional District sent a clear message to the nation that President Donald J. Trump is, without a doubt, the leader of our party. I could not be more grateful for his support, and I am proud to deliver this win to advance his America First agenda," Mike Carey said after his primary win.
Congressman Steve Stivers gave Ohio State Congressman Jeff LaRe his early endorsement, but energy lobbyist Carey received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. As a former police officer, LaRe proclaimed himself the public safety candidate. He won 13.3% of the vote.
Carey was relatively unknown prior to Trump's endorsement, but Trump’s thumbs up and ads purchased by the pro-Trump group Make America Great Again gave him the win in an area that voted for the former president in 2020.
Bob Peterson, a conservative state senator and a local farmer, stepped into the race with the backing of Ohio Right to Life, but came in fourth with 12.6% of the vote. Other candidates also had endorsements from Trump allies and high ranking Republicans.
In Plain City, a town north west of Columbus surrounded by cornfields and Amish farmers, voters were proud to vote conservative.
“I voted for Bob Peterson,” one man proudly announced, although he did not want to give his name. “He’s a businessman and a farmer, and is pro-life."
Another voter pulled the lever for the Trump candidate. “Mike Carey. If he’s good enough for President Trump, he’s my guy,” the voter said.
The seats will be decided in November, with the winners stepping into the House of Representatives in January.
Follow Kyle Anne Uniss on Twitter
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