Ilhan Omar becomes the first Somali-American elected to Congress

Minnesota’s first Somali-American state representative has again made history: She is now the country’s first Somali-American elected to Congress.

State Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, defeated Republican Jennifer Zielinski in the race to represent the state’s Fifth District, which spans Minneapolis, Edina, Richfield, Golden Valley and other suburbs.

Omar, 36, is a vocal advocate for single-payer health care, tighter gun restrictions and more expansive immigration policies. She has captured national attention because of her life story as a refugee who made her way into elected office.

She immigrated to the United States at age 12 and served as a Minneapolis City Council policy aide before winning election to the Legislature in 2016.

“Here in Minnesota, we don’t only welcome immigrants; we send them to Washington,” Omar told supporters at a victory party in Minneapolis.

Zielinski, a clinical specialist for Allina Health, had hoped to flip a seat that’s been held by Democrats since the early 1960s — most recently by U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, who opted to run for state attorney general this year.

Omar and Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, who also won Tuesday, will be the first Muslim women in Congress.