Ilhan Omar Won Her Primary in MN CD-5!

Ilhan Omar

Here’s a short history of Minnesota’s Congressional District 5 and the liberal/progressive Democrats who have served in that U.S. House seat. After I graduated from college in 1978 I moved to Minneapolis. I lived there into the late 1980s. The boundaries of the district have changed a bit over time, but it’s been a solidly Democratic district for 60 years.

Donald Fraser was elected to represent the district in 1962. He left his seat in 1978 to run for U.S. Senate. He failed in his Senate run, but in 1980 he was elected Mayor of Minneapolis.

Martin Olav Sabo was the next representative from MN-5. He was a nice guy of Norwegian descent and a reliably liberal Democrat. I met him once at a Democratic party caucus. First elected in 1978, Sabo represented the district until he retired in 2006.

Keith Ellison was the next representative from the fifth district. He was elected in 2006. He was the first Muslim (from any state) to serve in Congress. When he was sworn in, he put his hand on a copy of the Qur’an once owned by Thomas Jefferson. In 2018, he left Congress to run for Attorney General of MN and won. He’s still the AG. I admire him a lot.

Ilhan Omar was elected in 2018. She was the first Somali-American to serve in Congress. Also, the first woman to represent MN-5. She’ll probably get reelected this year. The district is overwhelmingly Democratic.

I no longer live there, but I love the fifth district of Minnesota. It’s been sending liberal Democrats to Congress for 60 years.