ST. PAUL, Minn. — Rep. Ilhan Omar, a North Dakota State graduate and member of the progressive Squad, eked out a closer-than-expected Democratic primary victory Tuesday against a centrist challenger who questioned the incumbent’s support for the “defund the police” movement. Voters in southern Minnesota, meanwhile, decided two races related to the same seat vacated by Republican Rep. Jim Hagedorn, who died earlier this year from cancer.
Omar, who represents Minneapolis and is one of the left’s leading voices in Congress, has defended calls to redirect public safety funding more into community-based programs. She squared off with former City Councilmember Don Samuels, whose north Minneapolis base suffers from more violent crime than other parts of the city.
Samuels argued that Omar is divisive and helped defeat a ballot question last year that sought to replace the city police department with a new public safety unit. He and others also successfully sued the city to force it to meet minimum police staffing levels called for in Minneapolis’ charter.
Samuels said his narrow loss shows that Omar is beatable: “If this was the general election, no doubt that we would have won this race.” Omar countered, “Tonight’s victory is a testament to how much our district believes in the collective values we are fighting for.”
Barb Atkinson, a 53-year-old part-time event planner for a radio station who supported Samuels, called Omar “too far to the left.”
“Although I respect Ilhan Omar and what she’s done, I disagree with the defund the police. I really think that wording sends the wrong message,” Atkinson said. She added, “We need our leaders to work together to solve this issue.”
Omar, who is seeking her third term in the House, crushed a similar primary challenge two years ago from a well-funded but lesser-known opponent.
“She’s had a lot of adversity already and pushback. I don’t think her work is done,” said Kathy Ward, a 62-year-old property caretaker for an apartment building in Minneapolis who voted for Omar. “We’ve got to give her a chance.”
Republican Brad Finstad, who served in the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Trump administration, won a special election to serve the remaining months of Hagedorn’s term. Finstad defeated Democrat Jeff Ettinger, a former chief executive at Hormel Foods, in a race that was closer than anticipated in the Republican-leaning district. Both had won a May 24 special primary election to advance to Tuesday’s contest.
Finstad and Ettinger will face off again in November for a full term in the district — it includes Rochester and Mankato — after each secured his party’s nomination Tuesday. Ettinger faced minimal primary opposition, while Finstad had little trouble dispatching state Rep. Jeremy Munson. Munson said he doesn’t think President Joe Biden’s victory was legitimate — despite federal and state election officials, courts and Trump’s own attorney general saying there was no credible evidence the 2020 presidential election was tainted.