Rep. Ilhan Omar Wins Her Primary By Narrow Margin

 

Rep. Ilhan Omar is the projected winner of the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.

The race was far closer than many expected, with the Squad member winning by only a few percentage points against her Democrat challenger Don Samuels.

Omar was first elected in 2018 with 78 percent of the vote and reelected in 2020 with 64 percent of the vote.

“When I first ran for this office there was one thing I kept coming back to. Something I said to myself and to the voters over and over: I believe that a better world is possible. I still believe that,” Omar said in a statement announcing her campaign for re-election, according to a report from WCCO.

Omar is a staunch advocate for progressive causes including support for Black Lives Matter, student loan forgiveness, and packing the court.

In March, Omar introduced a bill to limit no-knock raids in response to the death of 22-year-old Amir Locke who was fatally shot by Minneapolis police in February.

The Amir Locke End Deadly No-Knock Warrants Act would ban quick-knock warrants, all nighttime warrants, the use of flash-bang stun grenades or other explosive devices, chemical weapons, or any military-grade firearm during most raids.

Additionally, the legislation would establish strict limits on when no-knock warrants can be served in relation to drug investigations.

In July, Omar was booed off the stage at a large Somali Independence Day Concert in Minneapolis.

The event, which took place at the Target Center, was celebrating the 62nd anniversary of independence in Somalia and featured singer Suldaan Seeraar.

Rep. Omar was brought on stage to present an award to Seeraar, who was performing in the US for the first time.

The Hill noted that her opponent in this race was endorsed by the Star Tribune’s editorial board, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) and former Minnesota Secretary of State Joan Growe.

“Omar is likely to win a third term given the data website FiveThirtyEight notes her seat has a partisan lean of plus 57 points,” the report added.