Both the Democratic and Republican candidate running for a state House of Representatives seat in Minnesota are Somali-Americans, and whoever wins will become the first in the nation to serve as a state-wide lawmaker.

Minnesota is poised to elect the first Somali-American to become a state lawmaker anywhere in the nation come November after a community activist upset a 44-year incumbent in a primary on Tuesday. Carlos Gonzalez / ZUMAPRESS.com / Newscom Ilhan Omar, center, after winning the DFL primary in Minneapolis.

Ilhan Omar, a community activist who was a former aide in the Minneapolis City Council, beat Rep. Phyllis Kahn, a Democrat who served 22-terms in Minnesota’s state legislature — the longest in state history — in Tuesday night’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party primary, the Star Tribune reported. The seat represents Minneapolis.

Now, on November 8th, Omar will face the Republican nominee and fellow Somali-American, Abdimalik Askar, a television producer and former education administrator.

Omar is heavily favored to win in November’s election — she and Askar are the only two people on the ballot — in the Democratic-leaning district.

Minnesota is home to a large Somali population following the resettlement of Somalis refugees after a prolonged civil war in the early 1990s. The Census says up to 1 in 3 Somalis in the US live in Minnesota — especially in Minneapolis in an area that has been dubbed "Little Mogadishu."



“The work that got us here does not end tonight,” Omar said In her victory speech Tuesday night, where she spoke in English and Somali. Carlos Gonzalez / ZUMAPRESS.com / Newscom

“We have to continue the long work of uniting our district. We have to continue to work together collaboratively in creating the progressive agenda we all believe in. We still have to win the November election.” Omar and her family fled Somalia’s civil war when she was eight and lived in a Kenyan refugee camp for four years before emigrating to the US in 1994. “As a woman of color, so many people told me that I would not be able to raise money and win this election,” Omar said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed News. “Those people were wrong, and I want every young woman of color out there to know that they have the power – and support – to run for office and win."

Supporters for Omar on Tuesday chanted, “It’s time for a women to lead.” Low turn out, maybe - but definitely not low energy for these Ilhan Omar supporters. #MNPrimary