Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) defeated Republican challenger Dalia al-Aqidi, winning another term representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.
Omar claimed 76.4% of the vote compared to al-Aqidi’s 23.6%, according to the Associated Press, which tallied 87% of the votes before calling the race at about 11:30 p.m. ET.
Omar was widely expected to win, having won the 2022 general election 74.3% to 24.5%. Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District has not been represented by a Republican since 1960. The Cook Political Report rated the race as “solid Democrat.”
Al-Aqidi, a pro-Israel Muslim immigrant from Iraq, sought to focus her campaign on public safety, boosting funding for the police, and lowering the cost of living.
“Everybody with common sense would be against defunding the police,” Al-Aqidi told the Washington Examiner. “We’re suffering from [crime] on a daily basis. If you look at downtown Minneapolis, it’s a ghost town, and we cannot do anything about it because our police force is suffering.”
Al-Aqidi ran unopposed in the August Republican primary. Both al-Aqidi and Omar touted their status as immigrants to boost their credibility among their constituents.
Omar, one of the most visible members of the progressive House “Squad,” has come under heavy fire for her opposition to Israel.
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Al-Aqidi sought to turn Omar’s opposition to Israel into a central campaign issue. She told the Washington Examiner that Omar’s rhetoric on the Jewish state “has turned our district to ground zero for Jew-hatred.”
Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District’s largely immigrant, Muslim base has supported Omar throughout her controversies, sending her back to Congress for her fourth term.