Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., announced her run for reelection Monday, according to WCCO CBS Minnesota.
"When I first ran for this office, there was one thing I kept coming back to," Omar said in a statement. "Something I said to myself and to the voters over and over: I believe that a better world is possible. I still believe that."
Omar, who represents the 5th Congressional District in Minnesota, became the first Somali American elected to Congress when she won her initial term in 2018 with 78% of the vote, after incumbent Rep. Keith Ellison announced he would not seek reelection.
Winning her reelection campaign in 2020 with 64% of the vote, the progressive lawmaker has been a controversial figure at times and was criticized in 2019 for suggesting House supporters of Israel have dual allegiances.
She is a member of a group of Democratic lawmakers referred to as "The Squad," which includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Cori Bush, D-Mo., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y.
WCCO reports that Omar has passed eight bills and amendments into law during her first two terms. Additionally, she passed another 48 bills through the House, introduced 100 more, and co-sponsored nearly 1,100 more bills and amendments.
In the 2020 election, Omar won the 5th District with more than 60% of the vote, while Republican challenger Lacy Johnson amassed just under 26% of the vote in the Democratic stronghold.
In December, Omar launched a profane attack on Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, for his lack of support for President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act, the Daily Wire reported.
During an interview on MSNBC, Omar responded to Manchin's remarks about why he could not vote in favor of the legislation, saying, "I mean, we all knew that Sen. Manchin couldn’t be trusted."
"The excuses that he just made, I think, are complete bulls**t," Omar continued. "It is really disheartening to hear him say that he has been trying to get there for the people of West Virginia, because that's a complete lie.
"The people of West Virginia would greatly benefit from their families having access to long-term elderly care and care for folks with disabilities. They would benefit from the expansion of the child tax credits; they will benefit from having access to pre-K. And we know that he is not working on behalf of their interests, and I really am just completely disappointed and disgusted by his reasoning.”
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