Jessie Balmert

The Cincinnati Enquirer

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein offered her vice presidential slot to Ohio's most prominent Sen. Bernie Sanders advocate: Nina Turner,according to Cleveland.com.

Turner rose to national prominence during the Democratic National Convention after she was blocked from introducing Sanders before the roll call of states. Hundreds of upset Sanders' supporters, including celebrities Susan Sarandon and Danny Glover, protested the move, storming the media center and taking to social media with the hashtag #ImWithNina.

Turner has yet to endorse Clinton even though Sanders has. Sanders' decision to support Clinton is seen as a unifying move by some and a betrayal by others.

Many Sanders' delegates remain frustrated by what they see as the rigging of the Democratic presidential race. Thousands of emails released by WikiLeaks showed Democratic National Committee members favored presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over Sanders. Clinton's centrist vice presidential pick, Sen. Tim Kaine, did little to endear progressives to Clinton's cause.

Stein is looking to capitalize on some of that frustration and historic unfavorable ratings at the top of the major parties' tickets. Can't vote for Clinton or Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump? Try Stein, instead.

Turner would add some credibility to the claim that Sanders' supporters belong with Stein, a Massachusetts physician who also ran for president in 2012. Stein's vice presidential pick for that race, anti-poverty advocate Cheri Honkala, was already a member of the Green Party. But will Turner, a lifelong Democrat, go Green?

When Turner shared the offer on her Facebook page, the news was met with mixed responses. "Please do! I'm already going to the Green Party and you'd really give it the boost it deserves," one supporter said. While others pleaded with her to stick with the Democrats: "Don't do it, Nina. You will ruin your political power for the future."

Turner served as a Democrat on Cleveland City Council before she was appointed to the state senate in 2008, replacing Sen. Lance Mason who was chosen for the Cuyahoga County bench. She ran unopposed for the seat in 2010. Turner ran for secretary of state in 2014 against Republican incumbent Jon Husted, who won nearly 60 percent of the vote in a brutal year for Democrats in statewide races.

After the loss, she served as second-in-command at the Ohio Democratic Party. In November, she endorsed Sanders over Clinton – a move that shocked state Democrats who had watched Turner campaign for Clinton. Turner took a leave of absence from the state Democratic party to become one of Sanders' more prominent surrogates.

Turner also has a good working relationship with Republican Gov. John Kasich. She served on Kasich's bipartisan task force on community-police relations created after the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. Turner defended Kasich against Trump's attacks during the Republican National Convention in her hometown of Cleveland.

"It is the height of disrespect to come after the governor in his own state," she told Enquirer reporters during a Facebook Live interview.

While voters are less than thrilled with Clinton and Trump, it's unclear how competitive a third-party bid would be. In 2012, Stein received just 0.36 percent of the vote. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, who is also running in 2016, got 0.99 percent.

Stein will need an answer soon. The Green Party's convention starts Thursday in Houston.