A Somali refugee who made history after being elected to the Minnesota State Legislature has decided to tackle an even bigger challenge: winning a seat in Congress.
Ilhan Omar became the first Somali-American legislator in the United States back in 2016, making her the highest-ranking Somali elected to office in the country.
But less than two years later, she has decided to put her name forward to be the Democrat’s candidate for Congress, announcing her bid in a tweet
If successful, she would represent Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis and a number of other suburbs.
But there are still several hurdles to overcome.
Ms Omar will now face off against a number of other candidates vying to be named the party’s choice to fight for the seat, currently held by fellow Democrat Keith Ellison, in a primary due to take place in August.
The election itself will take place in November.
