Trailblazer Ilhan Omar wins DFL race for 5th Congressional District

Ilhan Omer

After three Minnesota Democrats decided to depart Congress, Tuesday saw crowded primary battles for their open seats — with state Rep. Ilhan Omar continuing her trailblazing ways in a heavily liberal district left vacant by Keith Ellison.

Omar, a Somali immigrant who drew national attention two years ago by becoming the first Somali-American elected to a state Legislature, won the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party primary by drawing 48 percent of the vote.

“We said our district was ready for a bold vision,” Omar said late Tuesday, while surrounded by supporters who celebrated the victory at Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis. “We said our district was ready for someone who had more courage and clarity to go to Washington.”

Margaret Anderson Kelliher, a two-term Democratic House speaker and 2010 candidate for governor, finished with 30 percent of the vote.

Omar could join Rashida Tlaib of Michigan as the first Muslim women to head to Congress (Ellison was the first Muslim). Last week, Tlaib won a Democratic primary in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District; she will run unopposed in November.

In November, Omar will face Republican-endorsed candidate Jennifer Zielinski, an Allina Health employee who lost a bid for a seat on the Minneapolis Park Board last year. She easily beat her two opponents Tuesday by receiving 56 percent of the vote.

State Sen. Patricia Torres Ray, who made history in 2006 by becoming the first Latino woman to serve in the Minnesota Senate, finished third in Tuesday’s Democratic primary with 13 percent of the votes cast.

Also on the Democratic ballot were Jamal Abdi Abdulahi and state Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, both of whom won 3 percent of the vote, and Frank Nelson Drake (2 percent).

Source:twincities.com