Omar clinches fourth term in Minnesota

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) sailed to victory on Tuesday in Minnesota’s 5th District, Decision Desk HQ projects, easily staving off a challenge from Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi, a former journalist, to earn a fourth term on Capitol Hill.

The result was never in doubt in the liberal district that includes Minneapolis, a Democratic stronghold where President Biden beat former President Trump by a whopping 63 points in 2020.

Omar, a member of the liberal “Squad,” is among the most well-known — and controversial — liberal lawmakers in the Capitol, where she frequently tangles with colleagues in both parties over the thorny topic of Israel-Palestine relations.

Omar is a Somali refugee, and one of just three Muslims in Congress, and her harsh criticisms of Israel’s human rights record have led to accusations of antisemitism. Republicans, as one of their first acts after taking control of the House this Congress, removed her from the Foreign Affairs Committee.

That debate has only intensified since last year’s Hamas attacks on Israel, and Al-Aqidi — a pro-Israel Muslim who was born in Iraq — made it a central part of her campaign, accusing Omar of dividing residents of the diverse 5th District and fomenting hate against American Jews.

Minneapolis has also been ground zero for the highly charged debate over police reform following the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. In the wake of the tragedy, Omar emerged as a loud voice in the liberal push to overhaul local police departments — including, in some cases, cutting their budgets and shifting the funds to other community programs.

Al-Aqidi seized on those positions. She accused Omar — a frequent target of conservative death threats — of hypocrisy for calling to defund the police while using campaign funds for personal security.

In the end, all of those arguments fell flat with voters in the deep-blue district, where Omar also enjoyed a huge cash advantage. Over the cycle, she outraised Al-Aqidi by a factor of four, $7.9 million to $1.9 million, according to OpenSecrets.