Turner was the Democratic nominee for Ohio Secretary of State in 2014, but lost in the general election against incumbent Jon Husted, receiving 35.5 percent of the vote.

Turner ran in the Democratic primary for 2021 special election for Ohio's 11th congressional district, and conceded the race after losing to Shontel Brown by a margin of 5.66% of the vote.

Her mother worked as a preacher and as a nurse's aide in a senior home, struggled with high blood pressure all her life and died in 1992 at the age of 42.

In the November 2005 election, Turner defeated Tonya Jones to become the Council Member for Ward One, the first African American woman in the seat.

In the 128th General Assembly, Turner was the Ranking Minority member on the Senate Highways & Transportation and Judiciary Criminal Justice Committees.

Turner considered running against incumbent Marcia Fudge in the 2012 Democratic primary for Ohio's 11th congressional district but declined, opting to stay in the State Senate.

[15] As a political statement against legislation attempting to restrict women's access to contraception and abortion,[16] in March 2012, Turner introduced a bill to regulate men's reproductive health.

Before getting a prescription for erectile dysfunction drugs, a man would have to get a notarized affidavit signed by a recent sexual partner affirming his impotency, consult with a sex therapist and receive a cardiac stress test.

It permits visitation and custody by men who father children via rape or sexual assault against a woman or girl.

She said it may be difficult for people to contemplate that a person would desire parental rights for a child conceived due to rape, though it occurs.

[24] In December 2016, Turner served as a member of the DNC Unity Reform Commission in Washington, D.C. to address concerns that arose regarding the presidential nominating process, particularly regarding the roles of caucuses, superdelegates, and corporate donations.

[25] In 2016, Turner became the president and public face of Our Revolution, a progressive political action organization that grew out of Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign.

They questioned whether she was settling scores from 2016 with the Democratic National Committee and criticized her hiring of associates to senior positions within the organization.

[27] She appeared on Hardball with Chris Matthews,[28] Meet the Press,[29] Politics Nation, State of the Union,[30] and other programs in support of Sanders.

[1] During Turner's runs for congress, she supported Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, a $15 minimum wage, legalizing cannabis, canceling student debt, and tuition-free tertiary education.

In June 2017, she began a regular segment on The Real News Network called The Nina Turner Show.

[51] In 2018, Turner portrayed a fictitious version of herself in the pilot episode of the television series Black Lightning, praising Cress Williams' character Jefferson Pierce.