Minnesota's 5th District Primary

Minnesota's 5th Congressional District includes Minneapolis and several surrounding communities in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. The district has been represented by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) since 2019 and has consistently favored Democrats in federal elections.

Minnesota holds partisan primaries, with the candidate receiving the most votes in each party's contest advancing to the Nov. 3 general election. There is no runoff or ranked-choice voting in the congressional primary. The primary is Aug. 11.

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) primary features Omar and challengers Julie Le and Latonya Reeves. Republicans are also choosing a nominee to compete in the general election.

The Candidates

Democratic Primary

Omar has represented Minnesota's 5th District since 2019 and is seeking a fifth term. She won reelection in 2024 with 74.3% of the vote and currently serves on the House Committee on Education and Workforce and House Committee on the Budget.

Omar received the DFL endorsement for reelection in May. She has also continued to pursue her legislative priorities in Congress, including introducing the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2026 with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in May. The legislation would provide free school meals to students regardless of family income, eliminate school meal debt and expand access to meals outside normal school hours.

Omar has also remained a prominent national political figure. In 2023, the Republican-controlled House voted 218-211 to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee following controversy over previous statements about Israel.

Julie Le is an attorney who gained national attention while temporarily assigned to represent the federal government in immigration cases in Minnesota. During a court appearance earlier this year, Le criticized the government's handling of its immigration caseload and told a judge that her job "sucks." She was subsequently removed from the position and launched her congressional campaign in March. Her campaign has emphasized immigration reform, health care and education.

Latonya Reeves is a corrections and public-safety professional who has also held leadership positions within the DFL. She has served as a member of the Democratic National Committee and was considering a challenge to Omar as early as July 2025. Her campaign presents Democratic primary voters with an alternative to Omar's progressive record and national political profile.

Republican Primary

Dalia Al-Aqidi is an Iraqi-born journalist who has previously sought to challenge Omar. Her career has included work as a White House correspondent for Alhurra, the U.S.-funded Arabic-language television network. She has made national security, immigration and U.S.-Israel relations central issues in her campaigns.

Two other Republicans are on the primary ballot: Angie Windhauser and John Nagel.

The Money Behind The Race

Rep. Omar has significantly outraised her Democratic primary challengers. According to Federal Election Commission filings, Omar raised approximately $5.09 million for the 2025–2026 cycle through March 31, 2026. By contrast, challengers Julie Le and Latonya Reeves have not reported fundraising on a comparable scale, with Reeves launching her campaign in November 2025 and Le entering the race in March 2026.

Outside spending in the race has been minimal. As of the latest reporting, outside groups have spent approximately $3,795, with all of that spending supporting Omar's re-election bid.

Ratings vs. Odds

The nation's leading election forecasters agree that Democrats are heavily favored to retain Minnesota's 5th District. The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball rate the district Solid Democratic, indicating that the eventual DFL nominee is expected to enter the Nov. 3 general election with a substantial advantage.

The Kalshi market cited in the original draft gave Democrats a 91.6% probability of winning the general election, compared with 8.4% for Republicans. Those figures should be accompanied by the date on which they were recorded because prediction-market prices change continuously.

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