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Rep. Ilhan Omar secures DFL endorsement
Election season is heating up in Minnesota with two congressional candidates securing DFL endorsements over the weekend. Incumbent Rep. Ilhan Omar and former state Sen. Matt Little won party endorsements in their respective congressional district races.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Election season is heating up with two congressional candidates securing DFL endorsements over the weekend. Incumbent Rep. Ilhan Omar and former state Sen. Matt Little won party endorsements in their respective congressional district races.
FOX 9 political analyst Blois Olson says these races in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District and 2nd Congressional District are shaping up to be competitive and could impact turnout.
Competition Heating Up
The backstory:
The race in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District is to replace Rep. Angie Craig. Craig is running to replace Democratic Sen. Tina Smith after Smith announced she will be retiring.
Omar is the incumbent in the 5th Congressional District.
What they're saying:
Little is a former state Senator and Lakeville mayor. He released a statement on social media reacting to the endorsement.
"I’m honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for CD2," said Little. "We’re going to take on the greed and corruption that’s gutting working families."
FOX 9 political analyst Blois Olson says in the 2nd Congressional District, Little will be facing a competitive three-way challenge in the democratic primary.
"Both Matt Klein, state senator, and state Rep. Kaela Berg have said they will go to a primary. This is probably the most competitive district in the state," said Olson.
Klein is a physician and a member of the Minnesota Senate. Berg is a flight attendant and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
In CD2, Republicans endorsed state Sen. Eric Pratt.
"Republicans all endorsed him this week and so it will be interesting to see if he has a big fundraising boost now that he has the support of all the delegation," said Olson.
What they're saying:
Over in the 5th Congressional District, Omar sent FOX 9 a statement on securing the party endorsement.
"It is an honor to represent you in Congress and be your DFL endorsed candidate. It is an honor to be your neighbor. It is an honor to be in this movement with you all. This district needs a fighter who won’t back down. I am that fighter," said Omar.
"She has changed the way she does things. She took that first primary for granted, she hasn’t done that since," said Olson.
The GOP challenger is Dalia Al-Aqidi. According to her campaign, she is a journalist and activist.
"It really is a tough race for Republicans in the general [election], but if they were to make a lot of noise, that will impact other statewide races," said Olson.
What's next:
The primary election will be on Aug. 11.