Last night, Ilhan Omar won her primary in Minnesota, beating a crowded field seeking to represent the state’s 5th Congressional District. She’s a former refugee who’s one step closer to becoming the first Somali American member of Congress.
Trump called Somali Americans a disaster for Minnesota, but voters cast his comments aside and delivered a resounding victory for immigrants and women.
In other trailblazing wins, Hodan Hassan won her primary race and will become the second Somali American woman to be elected to the state legislature. Another Somali, Mohamud Noor, won the primary for Omar’s seat to represent southeast Minneapolis.
Some have suggested that refugees want to harm America. The truth is, they just want to make America great.
Ilhan’s not the only former refugee who’s decided to go into politics to better serve their community. Others include:
- Liberian refugee Wilmot Collins, mayor of Helena, Montana. He’s worked to provide funding for essential services and created more affordable housing for Helena’s homeless population.
- Kathy Tran, a Vietnamese refugee who became the first Vietnamese American elected to Virginia’s state legislature last November. She’s spent her time in office working to expand services for immigrants and refugees.
- Zak Idan, who came to the US as a refugee from Somalia. He took Trump’s Muslim ban personally and decided to stand up for his community by running for office – and winning.
If we want our government to look more like the people who live here, we’ll need the support of people like you. Help make more wins like these possible by contributing $25 today. We’ll even throw in our #ReadyToLead tee.