Rep. Ilhan Omar wins Democratic primary in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, CBS News projects

Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has secured the Democratic nomination for reelection in the Tuesday’s primary, CBS News projects.

Omar captured over 80% of the votes in the 5th Congressional District, which she has represented in the U.S. House since 2018. The 5th is the most Democratic district in Minnesota and in the entire nation.

Her opponents were Julie T. Le, Abena McKenzie, Latonya Reeves and Nate Schluter.

Omar, who says a top priority for her remains President Trump’s immigration crackdown, won her last general election by 50 percentage points, and the 2024 primary by 13 points. Those are among the reasons why this year, for the first time, she didn’t face a major primary opponent.

In the Republican primary for Omar’s seat, John Nagel, was projected to win with 52.1% of the vote. 

Le, a former U.S. attorney, jumped into the DFL primary race just weeks after making headlines due to an outburst in a St. Paul federal court during Operation Metro Surge. After being assigned nearly 90 immigration cases in less than a month, Le — an immigrant herself — reportedly asked the judge to hold her in contempt of court so she could get “a full 24 hours of sleep,” adding, “this system sucks, this job sucks.”

Omar’s popularity in her district is undeniable, though she has for years been a frequent target of Mr. Trump and his MAGA supporters, who have repeatedly questioned her citizenship, mocked her Somali heritage and have scrutinized the finances of her and her husband, political consultant Tim Mynett.

On Monday, Omar announced a Homeland Security investigator was spotted outside of a town hall she was at in Richfield.

“Instead of monitoring the area for those who might wish harm to me and my constituents, Richfield Police were required to devote time to investigating why an HSI agent was outside of a Congressional event in a vehicle with mismatched plates,” Omar said in a written statement. “It also raises serious and uncomfortable questions about the purpose of HSI’s presence outside of my event.”

In January, a man lunged toward Omar at a town hall in Minneapolis, spraying her with a substance later determined to be apple cider vinegar.

“I am really OK. What happened to me is not OK, but they picked the wrong person,” Omar told WCCO after the attack. “I am not one to be intimidated.”

You can see results as they come in on WCCO’s results page.