Far-left Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar is shutting down speculation of a Senate campaign, as she instead turns to securing another term in her reliably blue Minnesota House district.

A statewide campaign for Senate would certainly be more competitive for Omar. Her Minneapolis district is by far the most liberal in her state, which has a sharp political divide between the ultra-woke Twin Cities and more conservative rural areas.

Omar's House success

Omar's racially mixed 5th district has the largest Somali population anywhere in the United States. She has continuously won re-election with relative ease, although she came close to losing a primary challenge in 2022.

She easily defeated Democrat Don Samuels in a primary rematch last year. Omar won the general election in November with nearly 75% of the vote.

Omar's name had been floated as a candidate for the Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Tina Smith, who announced her retirement last month.

"This decision is not political, it is entirely personal, but it's not lost on me that our country is in need of strong progressive leadership right now, maybe more than ever," Smith said.

Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan quickly entered the race, while Governor Tim Walz has ruled out running for Smith's seat.

Staying where she is

Addressing her plans to Minnesota Public Radio, Omar said she will fight to stay in the House to advocate against President Trump and his agenda.

"At a time when our rights are under attack, it is more important than ever to fight back against the chaos, corruption, and callousness of the Trump Administration," Omar told Minnesota Public Radio.

"In Minnesota, we know that organized people will always beat organized money. Our campaign is ready to build on our successful grassroots organizing efforts to have a record turnout for the midterms and help win back the majority," she said.

Polarizing figure

A controversial figure since winning election to the House in 2018, Omar has faced backlash over her fiery rhetoric towards America and Israel - which some consider anti-Semitic - and unabashed support of an open border agenda.

Some Republican colleagues have even floated deporting Omar, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen and refugee from Somalia, after she advised Somalis in her district on evading President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

"It is truly disgusting that members of the Republican party feel emboldened to engage in racist and quite frankly fascist remarks," Omar said in a statement.

While Omar's polarizing reputation may not be a problem for her in Minneapolis, her resilience as a House candidate would not necessarily carry over in a statewide race, which likely explains the decision she made here.