Minnesota’s 2024 primary election ended Tuesday night with many of the expected winners taking home the victory.
Primary elections for the 5th District, U.S. Senate and State Legislature were all on the ballot in 2024.
Rep. Ilhan Omar wins again
After defeating challenger Don Samuels by only two percentage points or around 2,000 votes in 2022, incumbent Rep. Ilhan Omar had a much easier time against Samuels this time around.
Omar took home 56.2% of the vote while Samuels earned 42.9% of the vote.
In a speech after her victory was announced, Omar attacked Samuels’ campaign for focusing on hateful messaging.
“This campaign has been one of the ugliest, most disgusting campaigns against me that I have ever witnessed,” Omar said. “I hope they reflect on the shameful way they decided to divide our district and the incredible people we are grateful to represent.”
Primary elections for members of the progress “squad” have faced tough primary reflections in 2024. Jamal Bowman in New York and Cori Bush in Missouri both lost their primary elections to more moderate challengers.
In his concession speech, Samuels said he was happy with the campaign he ran and called it a privilege to run for Congressional office.
“Even tonight, on this tragic loss, I have a deep sense of gratitude to have been afforded the privilege to have participated in the American democratic process in an effort to make our union more perfect, to make our district more well served, to hear the voice of the unheard, to amplify the voices of the muted, to go to places where people feel neglected and let them know they are seen and heard,” Samuels said. “It is a privilege that I cannot put a value on.”
Samuels said he still “had the energy” to run for public office again.
Lesser-known candidates like Nate Schluter and Abena McKenzie earned 0.5% and 0.4% of the vote, respectively.
Given the heavily Democratic-leaning district Omar represents, Omar is all but guaranteed to win in November when she faces off against Republican challenger Dalia Al-Aqidi. This area of Minnesota last elected a Republican to Congress in 1960.
Royce White officially the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.
After earning the Republican Party endorsement, Royce White won the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
White received 38.5% of the vote while his main Republican challenger Joe Trista earned 29.3% of the vote. Other candidates like Raymond Petersen and Alycia Gruenhagen earned 8.3% and 7.7% respectively.
In his acceptance speech, White promised he would not “sell out” his ideals.
“We face an enemy that intends to bastardize our citizenship through an idea called globalism. We must begin to understand how the global affects the local and take a stand for God, family and country,” White said. “I have fought against the corporate community responsible for this globalist agenda. Send me to Washington so I can continue that fight on the Senate floor in the swamp.”
White is a former professional basketball player and boxer. White previously ran as a Republican to challenge Omar in 2022 but lost.
White will be facing off against incumbent Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar for the November election. Sabato’s Crystal Ball, an election forecaster, lists the race as “safe Democratic.”
Other results
Primary elections for the Minnesota State House and State Senate around the University of Minnesota were fairly uncompetitive with most incumbent candidates in Minneapolis running uncontested.
Incumbents Rep. Jay Xiong of St. Paul and Rep. Samantha Vang of Brooklyn Park both ran unopposed.
The DFL race to represent the downtown Minneapolis district of 61A was among the closer races on the ballot.
Will Stancil, a University researcher, was not able to translate his Twitter fame into a primary election victory. Katie Jones has worked on climate and transit policies in the District and Isabel Rolfes was a policy aide for a former Minnesota State House majority leader.
Jones won the election with 43.2%, Stancil got second with 36.4% of the vote and Rolfes earned 20.4% of the vote.
Only 50 votes separated the DFL candidates in the primary election for 38A in Brooklyn Park.
Huldah Hiltsley narrowly won with 51.3% of the vote and Wynfred Russel earned 48.7% of the vote.
For the Minneapolis School Board, incumbent School Board Vice Chair Kim Ellison will face preschool tutor Shayla Owodunni.
All election results can be found here.