Omar Endorsed For Second Term

MINNEAPOLIS (Star Tribune) — First-term U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar has won the DFL endorsement to run in the August primary election for the Minneapolis congressional seat long held by Democrats.

The party endorsement Sunday pits Omar against primary challenger Antone Melton-Meaux, an attorney and political newcomer. The 37-year-old Omar was elected to Congress in 2018 after a rapid rise through the state Legislature. She’s the first Somali-American elected to both a state Legislature and to Congress. The Star Tribune reports Melton-Meaux has collected some high-profile endorsements from Minneapolis-area DFLers, and has had some success in fundraising. The Republican-endorsed candidate is Lacy Johnson, a north Minneapolis businessman.

In her new memoir, Omar offers her own spin on her path to prominence, starting with her childhood in Somalia. She says she often fought kids bigger than her in what she saw as a way to survive and earn respect. Her memoir, “This is What America Looks Like: My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman,” is being released Tuesday. The book offers no revelations on some of the controversies that have dogged Omar. Instead, it sketches rugged years that Omar says made her a fearless fighter unafraid to skirmish with President Donald Trump and her conservative critics.