Someone in the Democratic Party may be considering a test drive of a new candidate to challenge controversial first-term U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) (pictured, center).
Residents in Omar’s district reportedly are being polled on support for alternative candidates for the 2020 elections.
Minnesota political activist Tane Danger tweeted, “Just got a polling robo-call asking if I would be supporting @IlhanMN or “potential candidate” Andrea Jenkins (@annapoetic) for Congress in 2020 (pictured, right). It was clearly testing out some negative messaging against Rep. Omar. Who is paying for this polling and why? #MN05”.
Just got a polling robo-call asking if I would be supporting @IlhanMN or “potential candidate” Andrea Jenkins (@annapoetic) for Congress in 2020. It was clearly testing out some negative messaging against Rep. Omar. Who is paying for this polling and why? #MN05 pic.twitter.com/QXgWKlFX4R
— Tane Danger (@TaneDanger) June 21, 2019
Danger is co-founder of The Theater of Public Policy, which describes itself as a merger of nonprofit work and improv comedy to tackle “big ideas.”
Jenkins, a Minneapolis poet and artist, has been rumored as a potential challenger since February, The Minnesota Sun reported.
Jenkins, who is also Minneapolis City Council Vice President, is best known for being the first transgender African-American woman elected to public office in the United States. In January, she drew attention after calling a press conference to discuss her experience of being chastised at a Minneapolis coffee shop for handing out political literature.
That first report of a Jenkins challenge came after Omar suggested that Jewish money is to blame for bipartisan support of Israel, which was widely condemned as a “longstanding anti-Semitic trope and one of the pillars of modern anti-Semitism.”
This potential challenge is not the first facing Omar amid accusations that she once married her brother. The Star Tribune has reported on this topic.
The newspaper said a state probe of campaign finance violations showed that Omar filed federal taxes in 2014 and 2015 with her current husband, Ahmed Hirsi, while legally married to but separated from Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. Omar has denied that Elmi is her brother but has said little else about him.
Another potential challenge could come from former Minnesota Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken (pictured, left), according to a tweet that Nathan M. Hansen made in response to Danger’s tweet.
Hansen said, “.@alfranken is apparently getting in on this three way primary between him and @IlhanMN and @annapoetic. He has been very active with his email list, looking to get back in the politics game. Not sure if he can beat @annapoetic though. #stribpol”.
.@alfranken is apparently getting in on this three way primary between him and @IlhanMN and @annapoetic. He has been very active with his email list, looking to get back in the politics game. Not sure if he can beat @annapoetic though. #stribpol
— Nathan M. Hansen (@nathanmhansen) June 22, 2019
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Al Franken” by Al Franken; “Ilhan Omar” by Ilhan Omar; and “Andrea Jenkins” by Andrea Jenkins.
