MINNEAPOLIS — A Somali activist has unseated one of the Minnesota Legislature’s longest-serving members in a Democratic primary.
Ilhan Omar defeated 22-term Rep. Phyllis Kahn in Tuesday’s DFL nominating contest. Omar’s victory in the heavily Democratic Minneapolis district makes it likely she’ll be the first Somali-American lawmaker in the nation after the November election.
The district spans the University of Minnesota and is home to a large population of immigrants from Somalia and other East African countries. Omar argued the district needs a fresher face that better represents the diversity and needs of the area.
Omar is a political activist and former aide to the Minneapolis City Council.
Kahn has spent 44 years in the Legislature.
Meanwhile, Jason Lewis won the Second Congressional District’s Republican primary. He will be the Republican candidate going up against DFLer Angie Craig.
In the House District 31A GOP race, House Speaker Kurt Daudt defeated challenger Alan Duff, a former Isanti County commissioner.
