The Winner

If you live in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) will keep representing you after winning a fifth term. The Associated Press called the race for Omar at 11:04 p.m. Central time on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3. ​

Omar has 262,702 votes (76.5%) to 55,765 (16.2%) for Republican John Nagel, a margin of about 60 points, with an estimated 99% of votes counted, according to Associated Press election results. Independent DeVelle Jackson took 7.0%, and Omar returns to a House where Democrats will hold the majority.

The Race

Nagel, a former Minnesota State Patrol trooper, ran on stronger fraud controls, border security and protecting Medicare and Medicaid, according to CBS News Minnesota’s election night report. He won the Aug. 11 Republican primary with 52.2%, beating 2024 nominee Dalia al-Aqidi, who took 26.2%, while Omar won the Democratic primary with 80.7% over four challengers, according to Ballotpedia’s race page. Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the race Solid Democratic, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Democratic.

Omar’s share rose from 2024, when she beat al-Aqidi 74.4% to 24.6%. Her margin widened by about 10 points, while the Republican share fell by more than 8 points.

The district takes in Minneapolis and inner-ring suburbs including Richfield, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley and Fridley, across parts of Hennepin, Anoka and Ramsey counties, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s district map. About 707,000 people live there, and residents are 61.4% white, 17.4% Black, 10.6% Hispanic and 5.4% Asian.

The median household income is $83,900, and the median age is 35. Of adults, 51.1% hold at least a bachelor’s degree, unemployment is 5.5% and 13.5% of residents live below the poverty line.

What’s Next

Omar’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3, and the State Canvassing Board is scheduled to certify Minnesota’s results Thursday, Nov. 19, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State. She is the top Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee, according to her AllCiv committee page, and Democrats will lead that panel in the new majority. In her victory statement, Omar said voters had backed Medicare for All, universal school meals and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with climate action and student debt cancellation.

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