Ilhan Omar faces tougher-than-expected primary challenge
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Rep. Ilhan Omar is about to learn whether voters in her Minneapolis-area congressional district support the confrontational progressivism and celebrity that she brings to the job.
Omar, the first Somali American and one of the first Muslims elected to Congress, is facing a well-funded challenger in Minnesota’s Democratic primaries Tuesday. He’s Antone Melton-Meaux, a Black mediator.
KSTP’s complete 5th District race coverage
The outcome may not be known Tuesday night if the results are close.
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In this side-by-side photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., participates in a panel during a campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Jan. 31 in Clive, Iowa, and 5th Congressional District candidate, Democrat Antone Melton-Meaux, answers questions during an interview in his Minneapolis office on July 22.[Marcio Jose Sanchez, Jim Mone/Associated Press]
Officials must count mail-in ballots that trickle in as late as Thursday under safety rules imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.