The primary election might be finished in Ohio’s 11th District, but Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC-06), the third-highest ranking Democrat in Congress, is still making his presence felt.
“These are creations, and to say all we got out of endorsing Joe Biden was a federal holiday? That’s the kind of BS that sent me to Cleveland, I was going to stay right here in South Carolina minding my business until I got called stupid,” Clyburn told Axios.
The 81-year-old veteran congressman made waves during the primary race when he endorsed moderate Democrat Shontel Brown, who beat progressive Nina Turner Tuesday night.
In June, progressive group The Young Turks held an “economic justice” rally in Cleveland featuring Turner and rapper Killer Mike. During that event, the rapper called Clyburn “incredibly stupid” for endorsing President Joe Biden during the 2020 election. Turner agreed with that statement, putting her on Clyburn’s radar.
Clyburn was especially critical of Turner’s stance on defunding the police.
“What I try to do is demonstrate by precept and example how we are to proceed as a party,” he said when he endorsed Brown. “When I spoke out against sloganeering, like ‘Burn, baby, burn’ in the 1960s and ‘defund the police,’ which I think is cutting the throats of the party, I know exactly where my constituents are. They are against that, and I’m against that.”
Turner also made headlines for her comments comparing a vote for Biden to “eating a bowl of s***.”
The race highlighted the fracture between moderates and progressives in the Democrat Party.
Brown, a Cuyahoga County councilwoman, was endorsed by Clyburn and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while Turner was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), whose 2020 presidential campaign she co-chaired.
Turner was also dogged by the personas of some of her progressive friends, including Islamic radical Linda Sarsour, with whom she has had a longtime friendship.
In all likelihood, Brown will win the general election on November 2, and replace Marcia Fudge, the district’s former congresswoman, who was tapped by Biden to be the secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Nina Turner” by Lorie Shaull. CC BY-SA 2.0.
