Minnesota primary: Ilhan Omar poised to become first Somali-American elected to Congress
Ilhan Omar is poised to become the first Somali-American elected to US Congress.
Ms Omar made history on Tuesday by winning a Democratic primary in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District.
Republican Keith Ellison left the seat to run for state attorney general. It was a race in which he was successful despite having to deny domestic abuse allegations which surfaced just days before the vote.
Ms Omar, who gained international attention in 2016 by becoming the first Somali-American elected to a state legislature, won in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs, a notoriously left-leaning district. Given the fact the district tilts so heavily Democratic, Ms Omar's primary victory is expected to lead to a win in the November midterm elections, leading her to Congress.
"Tonight we are celebrating because we engaged and empowered our community and we won!" Ms Omar said in a statement. "Our campaign staff, our volunteers, and the people of the Fifth Congressional District are the inspiration we need to get up every day and fight for a democracy that guarantees a more just and equitable society."
Born and raised in Somalia, Ilhan Omar and her family fled the country at the start of the civil war in 1991, spending several years in a Kenyan refugee camp.
Ms Omar and her family emigrated to the US when she was 12 years old, eventually ending up in Minneapolis, where she currently stands as a Democratic candidate. It is reported she learnt English in just three months when she arrived in the US.
As a Muslim woman, Ms Omar has the potential to be among the few Islamic women elected to congress. A mother of three who's lived in Minnesota for two decades, is one of a record number of Muslim candidates running for office in 2018, along with an unprecedented number of women.
Posting on Twitter shortly after her Minneapolis win was announced, Mr Omar said: "We started this campaign to prove people are ready and willing to fight for an America that works for all of us.
"To every staff member, volunteer, donor, and voter, this win is just as much yours as it is mine. Together, will move our district, state and nation forward."
Tuesday also saw primary elections take place in Connecticut, Wisconsin and Vermont.
Diversity reined in these elections, an increasingly apparent trend in this year's primary and special elections.
In Vermont, Christine Hallquist become the first transgender candidate to win a major political party's nomination for governor. Mr Hallquist beat three other Democrats to secure the victory.
The 62-year-old is part of a wave of LGBTQ candidates seeking higher office across the US.
