Tara Golshan profiles the winner of the Democratic Primary for Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District for Vox:
Ilhan Omar, a progressive Muslim woman, wins Minnesota primary for Keith Ellison’s House seat
Minnesota state Rep. Ilhan Omar will likely become one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress after winning a heated Democratic primary in Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District on Tuesday.
Omar, a 36-year-old Somali refugee who immigrated to the United States as a teenager, beat a packed field of six candidates in the race to fill current Rep. Keith Ellison’s seat…
With the installation of a racist, religiously bigoted serial rapist in the Oval Office, the contrast between what each party stands for, and who it represents, could not be more clear, and those differences have been reflected in elections over the past year and a half:
Omar, the first Somali-American Muslim to be elected to the Minnesota legislature or any elected office in the United States, is also part of a historic wave of women looking to clinch higher office this year. Women and people of color are still underrepresented in Congress (20 percent women and 19 percent people of color), but 146 women have won Democratic primaries in 2018.
As inspiring as her life story is, equally compelling is her progressive vision for social, environmental and economic justice.
From Rep. Omar’s website:
We must build a democratic economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few. Workers should earn a living wage and have access to benefits.
If we are going to dismantle systemic racism in our country, we must radically transform our approach to criminal justice and invest in restorative justice practices.
We need bold action, and a transformation of our political and economic systems to combat climate change, centering those most impacted in our policy making.
Housing is a human right. Stable housing is essential to a healthy and secure life. Whether we rent or own our homes, everyone deserves access to a safe and stable place to live.
Our immigration system is fundamentally unjust. Instead of treating immigrants as criminals, we must welcome them into our country and provide them with paths to citizenship.
We must end the state of continuous war, as these wars have made us less safe. We must scale back U.S. military activities, and reinvest our expansive military budget back into our communities.
The LGBTQIA+ community’s struggle did not end with the legalization of same sex marriage. People in the queer community are disproportionately affected by the same issues we all experience.
For too long, Congress has refused to pass comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation. We need solutions that keeps our kids and our communities safe.
This is what progressive leadership, and a message that addresses the concerns of the party base, looks like.
How do Democrats take back the House in November? Take a look at Ilhan Omar, what she stands for, who she represents, and you’ll have your answer.