Cleveland area Black Lives Matter group endorses Republican senator

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A local Black Lives Matter chapter decided to endorse the Republican candidate for Senate in Ohio, Politico reported.

Rob Portman, the Republican incumbent in the state, landed the endorsement of the Black Lives Matter group in Cuyahoga County — the state's most populous and home to Cleveland, host city of last week's GOP convention.

The endorsement is highly unusual, given that the movement has been much more closely tied to Democratic politicians. 

The group ripped Portman's challenger, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, in the endorsement. It said the Ohio Democrat "managed to destroy Ohio's budget and deplete its billions-dollar Rainy Day Fund."

"In the current atmosphere of identity politics, BLMCC understands that endorsing even a well-qualified Republican such as Portman seems controversial; despite the fact that it was minorities who suffered the brunt of Ted Strickland’s gross financial mismanagement,” Jeff Mixon, president of the organization, said in a Friday statement to Politico.

Mixon, who sits on the Democratic Party's executive committee in the county, praised Portman for helping put major anti-opioid legislation into law earlier this month.

"Ted Strickland devoted little time to the cause of helping – rather than punishing – addicts," Mixon wrote. "One thing that we at BLMCC feel confident about is this: the definition of ‘rational’ is not doing the same thing over and over – with little or no thought – expecting a different result. At some point, minority communities must carefully examine the impact of relying solely on the Democratic Sample Ballot on Election Day."

The group endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in February.

"We are honored that Rob's positive vision for the future has attracted support from all corners of Ohio," Portman Campaign spokesperson Michawn Rich said in a statement to Business Insider. "Republicans, Democrats, and Independents are joining Rob's campaign because they all agree Ohio cannot afford to go backwards to the days of Ted Strickland when the state lost more than 350,000 jobs and ranked 48th in job creation."

However, Cleveland Scene reported that Mixon's group is not affiliated with the national network. Black Lives Matter in Cleveland is the only group that is. 

"This is not our chapter nor are we affiliated with them," BLM in Cleveland spokesperson, Latonya Goldsby – a cousin of Tamir Rice – told Cleveland Scene in an email. "The Black Lives Matter Network that we represent is not connected with this organization."

David Bergstein, Strickland's campaign spokesman, shot down the original Politico report as "incorrect," citing the Cleveland Scene story.

"This report is incorrect," he said in a statement. "Black Lives Matter Cleveland is the group's local organization in the area. Ted has a strong record of fighting for Ohio’s African American communities and working families, and will continue to do so in the Senate."

Portman, who was also endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police earlier in the week, is locked in a tough reelection bout with Strickland. The Ohio Republican is up 4 points on the former governor in the RealClearPolitics polling average.

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