Pictured are former state senator Nina Turner and Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, Cleveland Urban News. Com and the Cleveland Urban News.Com Blog, Ohio's Most Read Online Black Newspaper and Newspaper Blog. Tel: 216-659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. Coleman is a 22-year political, legal and investigative journalist who trained for 17 years, and under six different editors, at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. (www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com).

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Former state senator Nina Turner, a Cleveland Democrat who was until this week the director of political engagement for the Ohio Democratic Party , announced Thursday that she is switching her support of Hillary Clinton to Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont , a socialist Democrat and Clinton's  most threatening rival for the Democratic nomination for president.

A former first lady and prior secretary of state, Clinton remains the front-runner in the race.

Turner spoke one-on-one with Cleveland Urban News.Com on Tuesday and said that she would make the surprising announcement later this week. And  she scheduled a one-on-one interview with Cleveland Urban News.Com Editor-in-Chief Kathy Wray Coleman for Monday, Nov. 16, saying that she  will give more specifics then.

"I am endorsing Bernie Sanders for president, " Turner told Cleveland Urban News.Com, Ohio's most read digital Black newspaper and  one of the top non-mainstream online newspapers in Ohio..

In a story published on Nov. 12 by the Cleveland Plain Dealer Newspaper online at www.cleveland.com Turner is quoted as saying that "I was approached by a Clinton supporter who said that I am doing a disservice to the country. It was very insulting."

Cleveland Urban News.Com intends to get at the root of this issue and sources said yesterday that Clinton may be taking Ohio and Black leaders for granted, financially and otherwise, particularly since she has a hefty campaign war chest.

A regular political analyst on MSNBC and a delegate for now president Barack Obama when he ran for president in 2008,  Turner has headed off to Iowa for Saturday's second Democratic presidential debate and will introduce Sanders on Monday at a campaign rally at Cleveland State University. She is not currently getting paid by the Sanders campaign, but that is expected to change, sources said.

Ohio Democratic Party officials said Tuesday that Turner, who had been an enthusiastic supporter of Clinton until recently, will take an unpaid leave from her role as director of political engagement because the party is neutral on candidates prior to the Democratic nomination for president.

The ODP, however, is hardly neutral, data show, and did not appear to care when Turner, who is Black and ran unsuccessfully for Ohio Secretary of State last year on the Democratic ticket,  worked for the party and was campaigning for Clinton earlier this year.

Turner was brought on in  January by ODP Chair David Pepper, who was hired also that month, and her role, in part, was to help repair the party's image with Black elected officials statewide

Clinton still enjoys support from other prominent Ohio Democrats, including U.S Sen. Sherrod Brown, and Ohio congress persons Marcia L. Fudge, Joyce Beatty and Tim Ryan, all of whom have endorsed her, among others. (www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com). (www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com).