Rep. Ilhan Omar Defeats Antone Melton-Meaux, 3 Other Challengers In Primary Election

Incumbent Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has won Minnesota’s 5th District Primary Tuesday evening.

The race was hotly contested, as Omar faced four challengers from her own party, including heavily-funded Antone Melton-Meaux. His campaign spokesman told WCCO he conceded at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

In Minnesota, we know that organized people will always beat organized money.

Tonight, our movement didn’t just win. We earned a mandate for change. Despite outside efforts to defeat us, we once again broke turnout records.

Despite the attacks, our support has only grown.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 12, 2020

Tuesday’s election was also a test of Minnesota’s absentee-voting system, with unprecedented numbers voting by mail because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Election results were delayed because of the influx of absentee ballots which were sent in.

Omar was first elected to the seat in 2018, becoming the first Somali American and one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. She won that crowded primary field by more than 18 percentage points, and has since made her mark as a progressive and outspoken critic of President Donald Trump. She was endorsed by the DFL and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Melton-Meaux, on the other hand, is an attorney who runs his own mediation law firm in Minneapolis. He has called Omar “divisive” and “focused on her celebrity.” He was endorsed by former president of the Minneapolis NAACP Nekima Levy-Armstrong, Golden Valley Mayor Shep Harris, and civil rights activist Josie Johnson.

Les Lester, John Mason, and Daniel McCarthy also ran to represent the 5th District.

Omar will face GOP candidate Lacy Johnson in November.

Source: WCCO