Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
Ilhan Omar
2019 - Present
2027
6
Ilhan Omar (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2019. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.
Omar (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
In the 2018 election, Omar defeated Jennifer Zielinski (R) by more than 56 percentage points to replace outgoing incumbent Keith Ellison (D). Omar defeated five other candidates in the August 14 Democratic primary. She received 48.2 percent of the vote while her closest competitor, Margaret Kelliher, received 30.4 percent.
Omar was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress to represent Minnesota.[1] She was also the first Somali-American elected to the U.S. Congress. Omar fled Somalia when she was eight years old and lived in a refugee camp in Kenya for four years before coming to the U.S.[2] Alongside Rashida Tlaib, Omar was one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.[3]
Prior to her election to the U.S. House, Omar served in the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 60B from 2017 to 2019. She was the first Somali-American state legislator in the nation.
2020 battleground election
Incumbent Rep. Ilhan Omar defeated four candidates in the Democratic primary for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District on August 11, 2020. Omar received 57% of the vote. Antone Melton-Meaux was second with 39%.
This was the first time in more than 85 years that an incumbent U.S. representative from Minnesota had more than three primary challengers.[4] Media attention focused on Omar and Melton-Meaux.[5][6]
Omar was elected to the House in 2018. She said she delivered for the district by passing more amendments than any other member of the Minnesota delegation, working to extend the Deferred Enforced Departure status for Liberians in the state, introducing the Student Debt Cancellation Act, and co-sponsoring the No Ban Act in opposition to President Donald Trump's (R) travel bans. Omar's endorsers included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Minnesota Attorney General and former 5th District Rep. Keith Ellison (D).[7]
Melton-Meaux, a lawyer and mediator, ran with the campaign slogan "Focused on the Fifth." He said Omar was more focused on arguments with the president and celebrity status than on the needs of the district. Melton-Meaux said he was a progressive who would get things done by finding common ground with others and building coalitions. The Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial board and former Minneapolis NAACP President Nekima Levy-Armstrong endorsed him.[8][9]
Briana Bierschbach of the Minneapolis Star Tribune described the candidates' policy differences in the following way:[10]
| “ |
In both style and policy, the race ... has become a proxy fight between the establishment and progressive wings of the party, with Omar as a major backer of Medicare for All and publicly supporting a push to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department in favor of a new public safety agency. Melton-Meaux said he doesn’t support eliminating police, even if he agrees more funding should be moved from law enforcement to community services. And while he would support a single-payer health care bill if it came up for a vote, he prefers a system that focuses more resources on primary care.[11] |
” |
For more on candidates' backgrounds and key messages, click here.
As of July 22, 2020, Omar had raised $4.3 million to Melton-Meaux's $4.2 million. In the second quarter of 2020, Melton-Meaux raised $3.2 million to Omar's $480,000.[12] Torey Van Oot of the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote, "Much of the money on both sides comes from out of the state, reflecting Omar’s national profile as one of the first Muslim women in Congress and an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump."[6]
Ellison and Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Chairman Ken Martin held a press conference on July 20 in which Martin said contributions to Melton-Meaux's campaign were efforts to "silence a progressive champion rooted in xenophobia." Martin said the average ActBlue contribution Melton-Meaux received in May was $650 compared to Omar's average of $18. Melton-Meaux responded that he received five times the amount of contributions Omar did from within the 5th District. Omar said her campaign received more individual contributions from within the state than Melton-Meaux's.[6]
Omar was among four congresswomen often referred to as the Squad, along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
Elections
2020
See also: Minnesota's 5th Congressional District election, 2020
Minnesota's 5th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Democratic primary)
Minnesota's 5th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 5
Incumbent Ilhan Omar defeated Lacy Johnson, Mickey Moore, Toya Woodland, and Ervan Katari Miller in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ilhan Omar (D) | 64.3 | 255,924 |
 | Lacy Johnson (R)  | 25.8 | 102,878 | |
 | Mickey Moore (Legal Marijuana Now Party) | 9.5 | 37,979 | |
 | Toya Woodland (G) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 34 | |
| Ervan Katari Miller (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 1,448 | ||
| Total votes: 398,263 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Chris Kelley (Independence Party)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5
Incumbent Ilhan Omar defeated Antone Melton-Meaux, John Mason, Daniel Patrick McCarthy, and Les Lester in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ilhan Omar | 58.2 | 103,535 |
 | Antone Melton-Meaux | 38.5 | 68,524 | |
 | John Mason | 1.5 | 2,721 | |
| Daniel Patrick McCarthy | 1.1 | 1,901 | ||
 | Les Lester | 0.7 | 1,267 | |
| Total votes: 177,948 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ervan Katari Miller (D)
- Leila Shukri Adan (D)
- Haji Yussuf (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5
Lacy Johnson defeated Danielle Stella and Dalia al-Aqidi in the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lacy Johnson | 76.6 | 9,188 |
 | Danielle Stella | 18.6 | 2,236 | |
 | Dalia al-Aqidi | 4.7 | 568 | |
| Total votes: 11,992 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Laverne Turner (R)
- Brent Whaley (R)
- Lucia Vogel (R)
- Alley Waterbury (R)
Legal Marijuana Now Party primary election
Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5
Mickey Moore advanced from the Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mickey Moore | 100.0 | 940 |
| Total votes: 940 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profile
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
- U.S. House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2019)
- Minnesota House of Representatives (2017-2019)
Biography: Omar received bachelor's degrees in political science and international studies from North Dakota State University. She worked as director of policy and initiatives for the Women Organizing Women Network and as a senior policy aide to Minneapolis Councilmember Andrew Johnson. As of 2020, Omar was vice chairwoman of the Medicare for All Caucus, whip for the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and midwest regional whip for the Democratic Caucus.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 in 2020.
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 5
Ilhan Omar defeated Jennifer Zielinski in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ilhan Omar (D) | 78.0 | 267,703 |
 | Jennifer Zielinski (R) | 21.7 | 74,440 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 1,215 | ||
| Total votes: 343,358 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ilhan Omar | 48.2 | 65,237 |
 | Margaret Kelliher | 30.4 | 41,156 | |
 | Patricia Torres Ray | 13.0 | 17,629 | |
 | Jamal Abdulahi | 3.7 | 4,984 | |
 | Bobby Joe Champion | 2.8 | 3,831 | |
 | Frank Nelson Drake | 1.8 | 2,480 | |
| Total votes: 135,317 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Julie Sabo (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5
Jennifer Zielinski defeated Christopher Chamberlin and Bob Carney Jr. in the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 5 on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jennifer Zielinski | 56.5 | 8,680 |
 | Christopher Chamberlin | 32.5 | 4,999 | |
 | Bob Carney Jr. | 11.0 | 1,688 | |
| Total votes: 15,367 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Minnesota House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 31, 2016.
Ilhan Omar defeated Abdimalik Askar in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 60B general election.[13][14]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 60B General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Ilhan Omar |
80.59% | 15,860 | |
| Republican | Abdimalik Askar | 19.41% | 3,820 | |
| Total Votes | 19,680 | |||
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||||
Ilhan Omar defeated incumbent Phyllis Kahn and Mohamud Noor in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 60B Democratic primary.[15][16]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 60B Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Ilhan Omar |
40.97% | 2,404 | |
| Democratic | Phyllis Kahn Incumbent | 29.41% | 1,726 | |
| Democratic | Mohamud Noor | 29.62% | 1,738 | |
| Total Votes | 5,868 | |||
Abdimalik Askar ran unopposed in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 60B Republican primary.[15][16]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 60B Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Abdimalik Askar (unopposed) | |
Campaign themes
2020
Ilhan Omar did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Omar's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Building an Economy for Everyone:
Closing the Opportunity Gap:
Advancing Equity for All:
Making Higher Ed Affordable & Accessible:
Protecting Our Environment:
|
” |
| —Ilhan Omar[17] | ||
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Civil Law and Data Practices |
| • Higher Education and Career Readiness |
| • State Government |
Key votes
Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2020
Voted Yea on: Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors–Article I (H Res 755)
Resolution Passed (230-197) on December 18, 2019- Proposed impeaching President Donald Trump for "abuse of power by soliciting the interference of Ukraine in the 2020 U.S. presidential election." Two Democrats–Reps. Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.) and Collin Peterson (D-Minn.)–joined all Republicans to vote against impeachment. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) voted present.[18][19]
Voted Yea on: Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors–Article II (H Res 755)
- Resolution Passed (229-198) on December 18, 2019
- Proposed impeaching President Donald Trump for "obstruction of Congress by directing defiance of certain subpoenas issued by the House of Representatives." Three Democrats–Reps. Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.), Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), and Jared Golden (D-Maine)–joined all Republicans to vote against impeachment. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) voted present.[20][21]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Campaign donors
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
2018
2016
Omar won election to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016. During that election cycle, Omar raised a total of $73,672.
| Minnesota House of Representatives 2016 election - campaign contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top contributors to Ilhan Omar's campaign in 2016 | ||||
| Event Cash Under $20, Event Cash Under $20 A | $1,428 | |||
| Teamsters Local 120 | $1,000 | |||
| Oppenheimer, Elizabeth A | $1,000 | |||
| Oppenheimer, Helene G. | $1,000 | |||
| Kaefer, Maria J | $1,000 | |||
| Total raised in 2016 | $73,672 | |||
| Source: Follow the Money | ||||
Endorsements
2016
In 2016, Omar’s endorsements included the following:[22]
|
|
Noteworthy events
Apology for tweet on Israel policy in February 2019
On February 11, 2019, six House Democratic leaders—Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md.), Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (S.C.), Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (N.M.), Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and Caucus Vice Chairwoman Katherine Clark (Mass.)—called for Omar to apologize for an exchange on Twitter where the leaders said Omar used "anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters."[23]
The statement from the Democratic leaders said, “We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments. As Democrats and as Americans, the entire Congress must be fully engaged in denouncing and rejecting all forms of hatred, racism, prejudice and discrimination wherever they are encountered.”[23]
Omar later released the following statement on Twitter: "Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes. My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole. We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me for my identity. This is why I unequivocally apologize. At the same time, I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry. It's gone on too long and we must be willing to address it.[24]
| Click "show" on the right to see Omar's original tweet, in which she responded to a tweet from journalist Glenn Greenwald. | |
|---|---|
| |
Notable endorsements
The following table shows a list of notable endorsements made by this individual or organization. The list includes presidential, congressional, gubernatorial, state legislative, and other notable candidates. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Minnesota scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from February 20 through May 21.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2017, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 3 through May 22. The legislature held a special session from May 23 to May 26.
|
See also
2020 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Official campaign website
- Ilhan Omar on Facebook
- Ilhan Omar on Twitter
- Minnesota Legislature
Footnotes
- ↑ Patch.com, "Ilhan Omar Sworn Into Congress, Takes First Votes," January 3, 2019
- ↑ Ilhan Omar 2018 campaign website, About Ilhan," accessed January 30, 2019
- ↑ Vox.com, "Ilhan Omar celebrates her journey from Somali refugee to member of Congress," January 3, 2019
- ↑ Smart Politics, "Ilhan Omar’s Unusually Large Pool of Primary Challengers," May 6, 2020
- ↑ KSTP, "Melton-Meaux takes big fundraising lead over Omar in 5th District," updated July 20, 2020
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Omar allies decry cash flowing into Melton-Meaux primary challenge," July 21, 2020
- ↑ Ilhan Omar's 2020 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed July 22, 2020
- ↑ Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Fifth District endorsement: Melton-Meaux, for integrity and progress," August 5, 2020
- ↑ Antone Melton-Meaux's 2020 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed July 22, 2020
- ↑ Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Antone Melton-Meaux challenge puts Ilhan Omar's style, controversies to the test," July 18, 2020
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Minnesota - House District 05, 2020 House," accessed July 22, 2020
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "General election results, 2016," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Primary: Tuesday, August 9, 2016," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Ilhan Omar, "Issues," accessed July 7, 2016
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.Res.755 - Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors." December 18, 2019
- ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 695," December 18, 2019
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.Res.755 - Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors." December 18, 2019
- ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 696," December 18, 2019
- ↑ Ilhan Omar, "Endorsements," accessed July 7, 2016
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 New York Times, "Ilhan Omar Apologizes for Statements Condemned as Anti-Semitic," February 11, 2019
- ↑ Twitter.com, "@IlhanMN," February 11, 2019
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Keith Ellison (D) |
Minnesota's 5th Congressional District 2019-present |
Succeeded by N/A |
| Preceded by Phyllis Kahn (DFL) |
Minnesota House of Representatives, District 60B 2017-2019 |
Succeeded by Mohamud Noor (D) |
