Ilhan Omar wins MN-05 Democratic primary
Last night, statewide elections were held in Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Here’s a selection of results from the battleground races we covered. For full election results, click here.
Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District (Democratic primary)
Incumbent Rep. Ilhan Omar defeated four candidates in the Democratic primary for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. As of 9:25 p.m. Central Time, she had received 57% of the vote. Antone Melton-Meaux was second with 39%.
This was the first time in more than 85 years that an incumbent U.S. representative from Minnesota had more than three primary challengers.
Omar is among four congresswomen often referred to as the squad, along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Omar said her accomplishments in the House include passing more amendments than any other member of the Minnesota delegation, working to extend the Deferred Enforced Departure status for Liberians in the state, and introducing the Student Debt Cancellation Act.
Melton-Meaux, a lawyer and mediator, criticized Omar by saying she was more focused on arguments with the president and celebrity status than on the needs of the district. He said he would find common ground with others to achieve progressive goals.
As of July 22, Omar had raised $4.3 million to Melton-Meaux's $4.2 million.
Omar won the 2018 general election by a margin of 56 percentage points.
Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District (Republican primary)
Former state Sen. Michelle Fischbach defeated four other candidates to win the Republican nomination in Minnesota's 7th Congressional District. As of 9:45 p.m. Central Time, Fischbach had received 59% of the vote, followed by Dave Hughes with 22%, and Noel Collis with 15%. Two other candidates each received under 3% of the vote.
Fischbach, who served as state senate president for two terms before resigning in 2018 to succeed Tina Smith (D) as lieutenant governor, was endorsed by President Donald Trump (R), U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and the 7th District GOP. Hughes, who was the Republican nominee in 2016 and 2018, was backed by Americans for Legal Immigration PAC.
Fischbach will face incumbent Collin Peterson (D), who has represented the district since 1990. The 7th District is one of 30 districts currently represented by a Democrat which President Trump carried in 2016 and is the district where Trump had his widest margin of victory. Trump's margin over Hillary Clinton (D)—30.8 percentage points—was nearly double the 15.5-point margin he received in New York's 22nd District, his next-best performance. Two election forecasters say the general election is a toss-up, and a third says it tilts in Peterson's direction.
Georgia’s 14th Congressional District (Republican primary runoff)
Marjorie Taylor Greene defeated John Cowan in the Republican primary runoff for Georgia's 14th Congressional District. The race was called with 42% of precincts reporting, with Greene receiving 59.4% of the vote and Cowan following with 40.6%. Incumbent Tom Graves (R), who assumed office in 2010, did not seek re-election.
Cowan is a neurosurgeon and owns a toy company. Greene owns a construction company. Patrick Filbin of the Chattanooga Times Free Press wrote, "With similar stances on issues, the runoff campaign has come down to who might be most effective in Washington."
The race received national attention after Politico reported on comments Greene made about Muslims and Black people. Other reports discussed comments she made about QAnon. Greene defended her comments, saying, "Every Republican, every Christian Conservative is going to be called a racist and a bigot by the Fake News Media, as have Steve Scalise and Liz Cheney. I’m sorry my future colleagues are unable to stand up to the pressure and fight back." She criticized Cowan by saying he never donated to Donald Trump but donated to Chris Christie's 2016 presidential campaign.
Cowan told Greene at a debate, "I'll be the best ally that Donald Trump has by getting elected and keeping you out of office, because the Democrats will use you as their chief fundraiser for all the crazy and ludicrous things that you say."
In the June 9 primary, Greene received 40% of the vote to Cowan's 21%. Nine candidates ran. Three election forecasters have rated the general election Safe or Solid Republican.
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