DMFI PAC today announced its endorsement of Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Shontel Brown in Ohio’s 11th Congressional District.
“Councilwoman Brown is an effective and experienced community leader who’ll be a tireless advocate for her district. She will work closely with the Biden-Harris administration and support Speaker Pelosi in advancing the Democratic agenda, which includes strong support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. She personifies the values DMFI PAC holds dear,” said Mark Mellman, DMFI PAC Chairman.
Councilwoman Brown supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Obama-Biden administration Memorandum of Understanding which codified the largest-ever level of U.S. security assistance to Israel, while opposing the BDS movement and placing additional conditions on U.S. aid to Israel. “She speaks meaningfully about her experience visiting Israel and will work to strengthen and expand the U.S.-Israel relationship.” Mellman added.
Brown also serves as Chairwoman of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, the first woman and first Black person to hold that position. As Party Chair and as Councilwoman, Brown is highly regarded for her ability to build successful coalitions.
One of her opponents in the race, Nina Turner, was co-chair of Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign and president of his political organization, Our Revolution. She likened voting for President Biden in 2020 to “eating [half] a bowl of shit.” In 2016, Ms. Turner helped lead the unsuccessful effort to make the Democratic platform less pro-Israel.
In a recent interview, Ms. Turner endorsed placing additional conditions on U.S. aid to Israel, a proposal that Joe Biden labeled “outrageous,” and, unlike some 95% of House Democrats, she refused to condemn the BDS movement, whose founders believe Israel should not exist in any borders.
Ms. Turner’s views earned praise from the former co-chair of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights who complained that Bernie Sanders is “far from perfect” because “he is a Zionist” but that his “surrogates and confidantes” like Ms. Turner were “with us.” The anti-Israel publication Mondoweiss labeled Ms. Turner, along with Rep. Ilhan Omar and other Sanders supporters, “fully anti-Zionist.”
DMFI PAC played a vital role in supporting pro-Israel Democrats during the 2020 election cycle, backing 83 Congressional winners (12 Senators and 71 House Members) and spending more than $6 million to support the Biden-Harris campaign and Democratic candidates for the House and Senate.
Visit the DMFI PAC website to see all of our endorsements and to learn more.