Ilhan Omar election coverage centers on Omar and John Nagel in Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District. Results will start coming in after polls close at 8 p.m.
Omar was first elected to Congress in 2018. Nagel, a lifelong St. Louis Park resident who served as a Minnesota state trooper for 30 years, is seeking office for the first time.
Minnesota 5th Congressional District
The district includes Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center, Crystal, parts of Edina, Golden Valley, New Hope, Richfield, Robbinsdale, St. Anthony, Fort Snelling, Columbia Heights, Fridley, Hilltop, St. Anthony and part of Spring Lake Park. Voters in that district will learn the first results after 8 p.m., when counting begins to come in from the live coverage.
Omar became the first African refugee to serve in Congress and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota. That record has made her a frequent target of attacks from Donald Trump and other Republicans, even as she now faces Nagel in the district race.
John Nagel in Minnesota
Nagel has said he is running for lower taxes, stronger border security and stricter immigration policies. Since leaving the Minnesota State Patrol, he has taught college courses, served on the security team for the Minnesota Twins and worked as a youth firearm instructor with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The race also carries a complication beyond the vote count. Federal investigators raided Omar's home in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 12, Department of Homeland Security leaders said the raid is part of an ongoing criminal investigation related to allegations of fraud, and Omar has not been charged with a crime. No evidence of wrongdoing has been made public, while current and former officials say they found some evidence in 2016 that her 2009 marriage to a man suspected of being her brother was fraudulent.
The first practical checkpoint for readers is simple: the opening results should begin after 8 p.m., and the live count will show whether Omar keeps the district or Nagel narrows the gap in a race built around Minneapolis and nearby communities.
