MINNEAPOLIS — Ilhan Omar has won the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District for the fourth time.
The Associated Press called the race for Omar Tuesday, defeating challengers including Don Samuels by more than 13%.
Omar is a Somali refugee, who made history in 2016 when she became the first Somali American elected to any state legislature. Two years later, she made history when she won her first term in Congress.
She became a leader in the progressive caucus and gained national buzz as a member of “The Squad” – a group of young, newly elected progressive women. She worked on child nutrition, student debt, infrastructure and veterans’ issues.
Omar is running for reelection in a district that includes Minneapolis and suburbs. She is now heavily favored to win in November, because the last time a Republican carried CD5 was in 1960.
On the Republican side of the ballot, Dalia Al-Aqidi ran unopposed in her party. Al-Aqidi is a journalist who fled her home country of Iraq when it was under the rule of Saddam Hussein, her campaign website says. She came to the U.S. in 1993 and has worked as a reporter for three decades.