The Democratic Primary
May 2, 2022
Our Jewish Political Guide is tracking a variety of important battles that are shaping the conversation in electoral politics. One of the most important primary races on the Democratic side is the one for Ohio’s 11th Congressional District between Rep. Shontel Brown and Nina Turner, scheduled for May 3, 2022, and a rematch of the district’s 2021 special election.
The district is currently represented by Rep. Shontel Brown, who was elected in a special election on November 2, 2021, after winning against Nina Turner in the Democratic primary. The district is considered as safe democratic, meaning that the Democratic primary election will be decisive towards who will represent it in the 118th Congress.
The 2021 special election was decided by about only 4,000 votes, and, with high voter turnout in the Jewish areas of the district, the vote of the Jewish community was likely one of the important elements that determined the race. On May 3, the Jewish vote will be decisive again. So, let’s delve into some of the most relevant differences in terms of the two candidates’ approaches to the concerns and issues important to the Jewish community.
- Antisemitism
Since being elected, Rep. Brown has been vocal about the need to combat antisemitism. She recently called “beyond troubling” the rise in antisemitic incidents in Ohio and across America. Moreover, she argued about the need to strengthen and expand the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which provides support for nonprofits and houses of prayer that are at risk of violent extremist attacks.
Nina Turner has made it clear that, if elected, she would be closely associated with the “Squad” in Congress, which is well known for being among the most left-wing and anti-Israel members of Congress. She called on her Twitter audience to “help grow the Squad.” However, members of the group have been repeatedly accused of moving beyond mere anti-Israel rhetoric and peddling antisemitic tropes. After she lost the special election in 2021, Turner stated that she “didn’t lose [the] race, evil money manipulated and maligned [the] election,” with many criticizing her words for echoing an antisemitic trope.
- Iran Nuclear Deal
Rep. Shontel Brown is one of the eighteen Democratic Members of Congress that recently raised critical concerns about the looming Iran deal. She stated that she has “long hoped that negotiations with Iran would result in a longer and stronger agreement” and added that she looks forward“to closely reviewing any announced deal to determine whether it will make the U.S. safer, improve stability in the region, and strengthen the security of our longtime ally Israel.”
Nina Turner was one of the signatories of a 2021 letter that urged President Biden to lift sanctions on Iran to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal. The letter argued that the JCPOA deal with Iran “sealed off Iran’s potential pathways to developing nuclear weapons, peacefully resolved the Iran nuclear crisis, and as a result, made America and the world safer.” Moreover, the letter emphasized that “lifting Trump’s bad-faith sanctions…should not be treated as a concession to Iran, but rather as an effort to restore U.S. credibility and enhance American security.”
- Israel’s Security
Rep. Shontel Brown has expressed her support for U.S. security aid to Israel, and she has been explicit in her opposition to conditioning that aid for specific results. She stated that the two countries have a “deep, special, and unbreakable bond based on shared principles and values” and pointed to Israel’s Iron Dome air-defense system, which according to her, “has saved countless Israeli lives and is now deployed to protect our own U.S. servicemembers.” During the May 2021 conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, Rep. Brown condemned Hamas’ massive rocket attacks and added that “Israel has the right to defend its citizens in the face of these attacks. Israeli families should never have to spend the night in a bomb shelter.”
Nina Turner has said that she supports security assistance to Israel, but she supports conditioning aid to Israel by arguing that “U.S. dollars shouldn’t help fund the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank or annexation that violates human rights or international law.” During the May 2021 escalation between Israel and Hamas, Turner did not condemn attacks but instead retweeted a statement calling to “end apartheid” and added that “solidarity is a verb.”