Give ‘Em Hell Nina
Though most of America is enjoying its 2013 electoral off year, some will be looking forward to next year and the sumptuous federal and state elections of 2014. Intriguing Senate races from that of Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, to that of Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, make 2014 a year to watch. But instead of focusing on McConnell, Davis, or any other nationally known politicians, it would be prudent to look out for the woman who could be one of the biggest game changers in 2014: Ohio secretary of state candidate and current state senator Nina Turner.
Turner could easily be compared to another motivational Midwesterner: brassy, bold, and swaggering president Harry Truman. With a similarly combative speaking style that could be summed up by the legendary populist saying, “raise less corn and more hell,” like Truman, Turner seeks both to aid her increasingly minority voter base and to serve as a voice for the working class. In the same way Truman was able to become the patron saint of Missouri and to energize the Midwest, now Nina Turner is attempting to energize her home city of Cleveland and her state of Ohio. Unlike Truman though, who focused on the “Do Nothing” 80th US Congress, Turner focuses on current Ohio Secretary of State John Husted, whom she deems the “secretary of suppression.” Turner, with multiple guest appearances on MSNBC and endorsements from both the Ohio Democratic Party as well as Democratic National Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, is an obvious candidate that Democrats want to highlight in 2014. Further, a 2014 victory for Nina Turner would be reminiscent of Harry Truman’s come-from-behind victory in the 1948 presidential race.
If elected, Nina Turner would become the first black Democratic candidate to hold a statewide office in Ohio. Currently, all six statewide offices are held by Republicans. Similarly, just as Nina Turner has to compete next year within a Republican controlled state government, so too did Harry Truman in his 1948 reelection bid have to contend with his Republican opponent, Thomas E. Dewey, while facing a Congress where both houses were dominated by Republicans. And, while the position that Turner is vying for may, at the outset, make this race seem not as important to national politics as other 2014 races, we have seen several cases where clearing up contested votes and voting laws in Ohio have made a difference. A recent example of the importance of Ohio’s Secretary of State was in early 2012, when Secretary of State Jon Husted shortened voting hours and strengthened voter I.D. laws, no doubt influencing the outcome of the elections that day.
Jon Husted’s previous decisions may be just enough to put Turner over the top next November. If Turner, like Truman, uses her rhetorical skills to exploit the chinks in her opponent’s armor, by continually highlighting Husted’s voting law changes, while simultaneously catering to working and middle class voters, she could be successful next November.
In addition to benefits for her party at the national and state levels, Turner could also use her position to help her gain a greater office in Ohio politics. While a Senate or gubernatorial bid for Nina Turner may be years away, let’s look at the facts as they currently stand: 1) Current Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown served as Ohio’s secretary of state before reaching Congress, and 2) Assuming that Governor John Kasich is reelected in 2014, his term ends in 2018. In 2018, Ohio will again be a bellweather state despite eight straight years of Republican governance. If Nina Turner, what with her rambunctious spirit, polished speaking skills, and colorful personality, ran for governor after serving a term as Secretary of State, she could have a plausible chance at being elected.
So, what exact campaign strategies could Nina Turner use to win her 2014 election? For starters, Turner could implement Barack Obama’s successful campaign strategy of the 2012 election: win big in the swing counties of Franklin and Cuyahoga Counties, while simultaneously finding some way to wrest control of Hamilton County from its current Republican establishment. Nina Turner may be the underdog throughout her entire election, facing an obstructive Republican political establishment regardless, if Turner, like Harry Truman, can successfully rile up her base while at the same time attracting Ohio’s independent voters, then she may in the long run still be victorious.