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On and On, South of Heaven
Omar wins MN House seat; nation's first Somali-American lawmaker
Minneapolis organizer Ilhan Omar made history Tuesday when she won a Minnesota House seat and prepared to become the nation's first Somali-American legislator.
Omar won House District 60B, which comprises parts of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, southeast Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota. It was represented for decades by DFLer Phyllis Kahn. Omar defeated Kahn in a primary contest.
While her election wasn't a surprise in a reliably Democratic district, it carried huge symbolic importance in Minnesota, home to the nation's largest Somali immigrant population. It came just days after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump ripped Somali immigration as a threat to Minnesota.
Following news that the Associated Press had called her victory shortly after the polls closed, Omar said the win was "icing on the cake" of a long campaign season and that she'd be a "voice for the marginalized" at the Capitol.
"I think I bring the voice of young people," she said. "I think I bring the voice of women in the East African community. I bring the voice of Muslims. I bring the voice of young mothers looking for opportunities."
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/11/08/first-us-somali-lawmaker-ilhan-omar-elected-mn-house
Minneapolis organizer Ilhan Omar made history Tuesday when she won a Minnesota House seat and prepared to become the nation's first Somali-American legislator.
Omar won House District 60B, which comprises parts of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, southeast Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota. It was represented for decades by DFLer Phyllis Kahn. Omar defeated Kahn in a primary contest.
While her election wasn't a surprise in a reliably Democratic district, it carried huge symbolic importance in Minnesota, home to the nation's largest Somali immigrant population. It came just days after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump ripped Somali immigration as a threat to Minnesota.
Following news that the Associated Press had called her victory shortly after the polls closed, Omar said the win was "icing on the cake" of a long campaign season and that she'd be a "voice for the marginalized" at the Capitol.
"I think I bring the voice of young people," she said. "I think I bring the voice of women in the East African community. I bring the voice of Muslims. I bring the voice of young mothers looking for opportunities."
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/11/08/first-us-somali-lawmaker-ilhan-omar-elected-mn-house