Election Results: Minnesota Elects Nation’s First Somali-American Lawmaker to Public Office

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Minnesotans in state district 60B made history Tuesday by electing the nation’s first Somali-American lawmaker. Ilhan Omar, 33, won handily Tuesday according the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Pioneer Press.

The Pioneer Press reported that Omar will represent a district in Minneapolis that’s home to the largest Somali population outside of the east African country.

The Star Tribune reported that originally born in Somalia, Omar and her family escaped civil war and lived in a Kenyan refugee camp before moving to Minneapolis. Omar has lived in the Somali-American neighborhood of Cedar-Riverside for nearly 20 years.

Omar and her supporters campaigned on the need to elect someone with new ideas and a fresh face that better represents the community.

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