Ilhan Omar was born on 4 October, 1982. She’s an American politician. Since 2019, she has been a U.S. representative for Minnesota. She’s in the Democratic Party.
Ilhan was in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2017- 19. She represented part of Minneapolis, and her quarter included all of Minneapolis and some nearby areas.
Early Life & Family Background of Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Omar was born in Mogadishu. She grew up in Baidoa, Somalia. She had six sisters and sisters. Her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, was in the army and a schoolteacher. Her mama, Fadhuma, expired when Ilhan was only two times old.
Ilhan was raised by her father and forefather. They were Muslim but did not follow strict rules. Her grandfather worked for Somalia’s National Marine Transport and other family members were teachers and government workers.
When the war began in Somalia, Ilhan and her family ran down to stay safe. They lived in an exile camp in Kenya four times.
Ilhan Omar’s U.S. Journey and Early Challenges
Ilhan Omar’s family got shelter in the U.S. and arrived in New York. They lived in Arlington before settling in Minneapolis. Her father worked as a taxi driver and later at the post office.
Her family taught her about democracy. At 14, she went with her grandfather to meetings as a translator. She was bullied at the school because of her appearance and hijab. Kids put gum in her hijab, pushed her downstairs, and teased her in the gym.
Her father told her the students do this because they feel threatened by you.
Early Education of Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Omar went to Thomas Edison High School and finished in 2001. She worked as a student organizer in the academy. In 2011, she graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in political wisdom and transnational studies.
She also studied programs at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
Early Career of Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Omar began working as a community nutrition schoolteacher at the University of Minnesota from 2006- 09. She was the crusade director for Kari Dziedzic’sre-election to the Minnesota State Senate in 2012. She also worked as a child nutrition outreach fellow.
In 2013, Ilhan Omar organized Andrew Johnson’s campaign for the Minneapolis City Council. When he won, she worked as his senior policy aide from 2013 to
In 2015 she became a leader in a group called Women Organizing Women Network. She helped East African women to become leaders in their communities and politics. In 2018, a journalist Jeff Cirillo called her a rising star in politics.
Ilhan Omar’s First Election Win
In 2016 Ilhan Omar ran for election in Minnesota as a Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate. She wanted to show District 60B the part of northeast Minneapolis.
On 9 August, she won against Mohamud Noor and Phyllis Kahn in the DFL primary. Her primary opponent for the final election was Republican Abdimalik Askar but he quit the race because of late August.
She became the first Somali-American Politician in the United States. She began her job on 3 January 2017.
2016 Minnesota District 60B Democratic Primary
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage (%) |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ilhan Omar | 2,404 | 40.97% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Mohamud Noor | 1,738 | 29.62% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Phyllis Kahn | 1,726 | 29.41% |
| Total Votes | 5,868 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2016 Minnesota State Representative District 60B Election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage (%) |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ilhan Omar | 15,860 | 79.77% |
| Republican | Abdimalik Askar | 3,820 | 19.21% |
| Write-in | – | 203 | 1.02% |
| Total Votes | 19,883 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Work as State Representative
Ilhan Omar was a leader in her political group while working as a state representative for District 60B. She wrote 38 new laws in one year. She was part of three essential groups:
- Civil Law & Data Practices Policy.
- Higher Education & Career Readiness Policy and Finance.
- State Government Finance.
Financial transparency issues
A Republican Politician said that Ilhan Oman used campaign money in the wrong way. Steve said that she paid a lawyer for her divorce and tool money for speeches at colleges, which was not allowed.
Omar said the lawyer’s fees were for her campaign, not personal use. She was ready to pay back the speech money. Steve claimed that she used money for travel to Estonia and other places. Ilhan’s team said that the objections were political attacks against her.
In June 2019, officials said that Ilhan Omar used $3,500 from her campaign in the wrong way for travel and tax filing. She had to return the money and also pay a $500 fine.
They also found that she filed taxes with a man but she was not legally married. This was not allowed in Minnesota. But experts she fixed the mistakes of 2016, and there would be no problem. Her team said that all her tax filings follow the law.
U.S. House Election Representative
2018-Election
She decided to participate in the U.S. Congress election. She got support from her party. She won the primary election with 48.2 percent of votes of the votes.
Ilhan Omar won against Jennifer Zielinski with a high percentage of the votes in November.
Minnesota’s 5th congressional district Democratic primary, 2018
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage (%) |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ilhan Omar | 65,238 | 48.20% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Margaret Anderson Kelliher | 41,156 | 30.40% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Patricia Torres Ray | 17,629 | 13.00% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Jamal Abdulahi | 4,984 | 3.70% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Bobby Joe Champion | 3,831 | 2.80% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Frank Drake | 2,480 | 1.80% |
| Total Votes | 135,318 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2018 MN-5 Congressional Election of Ilhan Omar
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage (%) |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ilhan Omar | 267,703 | 77.97% |
| Republican | Jennifer Zielinski | 74,440 | 21.68% |
| Write-in | – | 1,215 | 0.35% |
| Total Votes | 343,358 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Ilhan Omar’s 2020 Election Victory
In the 11 August Popular primary, Ilhan Omar ran against four opponents.. Her powerful competitor was Antone Melton-Meaux. He was a lawyer who got a lot of money from pro-Israel groups. He raised $3.2 million, while Omar raised about $500,000.
Many People thought the race would be very close and a big newspaper, the Star Tribune was supporting Antone Melton-Meaux. Omar won easily with 57.4% of the vote.
In the November 3 general election, she won against Republican Lacy Johnson and Michael Moore. She got 64.3% of the total votes. Johnson got 25.8% and Moore got 9.5 percent.
Ilhan won but the victory margin was smaller than Joe Biden’s in the same district. Experts say this was because Republicans spent more money against her.
Minnesota’s 5th congressional district Democratic primary, 2020
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage (%) |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ilhan Omar | 92,443 | 57.40% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Antone Melton-Meaux | 63,059 | 39.20% |
| Democratic (DFL) | John Mason | 2,497 | 1.60% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Daniel Patrick McCarthy | 1,792 | 1.10% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Les Lester | 1,147 | 0.70% |
| Total Votes | All Candidates | 160,938 | 100.00% |
Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, 2020 of Ilhan Omar
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage (%) |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ilhan Omar | 255,924 | 64.30% |
| Republican | Lacy Johnson | 102,878 | 25.80% |
| Legal Marijuana Now | Michael Moore | 37,979 | 9.50% |
| Green | Toya Woodland | 34 | 0.00% |
| Total Votes | All Candidates | 398,263 | 100.00% |
Ilhan Omar’s 2022 Primary Election
On 9 August, Ilhan Omar ran in the Democratic primary against Don Samuels a former Minneapolis councilman, and three other candidates.
The main topic of the election was a crime and how well Omar was doing her job. Omar’s campaign spent more money like $2.1 million and Samuels’s campaign spent $800,000. Samuels also ran TV ads and Omar did not.
She won the primary with 50.3% of the total votes, while Samuels got 48.2 percent. She won by less than 2500 votes.
Minnesota’s 5th congressional district Democratic primary, 2022
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage (%) |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ilhan Omar | 57,683 | 50.30% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Don Samuels | 55,217 | 48.20% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Nate Schluter | 671 | 0.60% |
| Democratic (DFL) | AJ Kern | 519 | 0.50% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Albert Ross | 477 | 0.40% |
| Total Votes | All Candidates | 114,567 | 100.00% |
Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, 2022 of Ilhan Omar
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage (%) |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ilhan Omar (incumbent) | 214,224 | 74.30% |
| Republicans | Cicely Davis | 70,702 | 24.50% |
| Write-in | – | 3,280 | 1.10% |
| Total Votes | All Candidates | 288,206 | 100.00% |
Ilhan Omar’s 2024 Election Win
On 13 August 2024, Ilhan Omar ran in the Popular Primary against Don Samuels, Tim Peterson, and Sarah Gad. She won the primary with 56 of the votes. In the annual election, she won again with high percentage of the votes.
Minnesota’s 5th congressional district Democratic primary, 2024
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage (%) |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ilhan Omar (incumbent) | 67,926 | 56.20% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Don Samuels | 51,839 | 42.90% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Nate Schluter | 575 | 0.50% |
| Democratic (DFL) | Abena McKenzie | 461 | 0.40% |
| Total Votes | All Candidates | 120,801 | 100.00% |
Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, 2024 of Ilhan Omar
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage (%) |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ilhan Omar (incumbent) | 261,066 | 74.40% |
| Republican | Dalia Al-Aqidi | 86,213 | 24.60% |
| Write-in | – | 3,768 | 1.10% |
| Total Votes | All Candidates | 351,047 | 100.00% |
Ilhan Omar’s Role and Public Image
After Ilhan Omar was selected, the U.S. House changed its rule. They allow her to wear hijab in the U.S. House. She’s part of a group called “The Squad ” along with Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. They work together to support good ideas and work on them.
A study found that Fox News talked about Omar doubly as important as CNN and MSNBC. She was mentioned six times more than a top Democratic Leader, James Clybum.
Political Positions of Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Omar wants to make college free for low-income families and cancel all student loans. She also wants to stop schools from punishing kids who can’t pay for meals. She raised her voice about many factors details are given below:
Views on Education
Ilhan Omar wants student loans to be easier to pay back and supports free colleges for families earning less than 125,000 dollars a year. She agrees with Bernie Sander’s plan to cancel all student debt. She suggested a new rule in the House to help with this plan.
In June 2019, Omar and Senator Tina Smith made a rule to stop schools from punishing students who can’t pay for their food.
Healthcare
Ilhan Omar supports a healthcare plan called Medicare for All. This will give everyone health insurance.
Only July 2022, after a big court decision took away abortion rights. Omar and 17 other leaders were arrested for blocking the street during a protest outside the Supreme Court.
Human Rights
Israel Ilhan Omar has spoken against mortal rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, China, and Syria. She blamed Saudi Arabia for its conduct in Yemen and called for a boycott. She also raised her voice about Turkey’s attack on Kurdish areas in Syria.
In 2019, at first, Omar did not vote to say the Armenian genocide happened. But later, she spoke in public and said it was wrong.
Immigration
In March 2019, Ilhan Omar blamed Barack Obama for putting children in coops at the Mexican border. She later said her point was to focus on policies not just politics.
In June 2019, she voted against giving more money to border agencies. She said that they were responsible for human rights abuses.
Against LGBT
In March 2019, Ilhan Omar spoke at a rally to stop gay conversion addiction in Minnesota. She also helped make an analogous rule in the Minnesota House. In May 2019, she wanted to for being gay.
In June, she joined a Pride event in Minnesota. She supported a Palestinian LGBTQ group after it was banned.
Opinion on Israel & Palestine
Ilhan Omar has criticized the Israeli government and then supported the BDS movement. She called for boycotting Israel. She wants Israel and Palestine to have their own separate countries. In 2012, she wrote a tweet about Israel that people found wrong.
In 2019 she spoke against Israel taking more Palestinian land and said people should not vote for Israel’s leader, Netanyahu.
Banned From Israel
In August 2019, Israel banned Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from visiting. Israel said they were banned because they supported black people community. Just before the ban, President Trump tweeted that letting them visit would be a “weakness.”
Ilhan Omar said Israel obeyed Trump’s order. Many American leaders from both parties did not agree with the ban.
Ilhan Omar Meeting Attack & Death threats
In 2014 Ilhan Omar was attacked at a political meeting. She was helping to manage the event then some people attacked her. She got a head injury and had to go to hospital.
In 2019, a man in the Coast Guard was caught planning to kill Omar and other leaders. Another man was arrested for threatening to kill her because she is Muslim. She also got more death threats after Trump’s comments about her.
Trump Tweet “Go Back to their Country”
Trump tweeted that Ilhan and three other congresswomen should “go back”. They should go back to their homes. She said that Trump was trying to spread hate. The U.S. government later said his words were hateful.
After this many people around the world supported her by using the hashtag #IStandWithIlhanOmar.
Ilhan Omar Faces the Online Hate
Ilhan Omar has been a big target of hate messages on the internet. A study found that before the 2018 election, many tweets about her included hateful or anti-Muslim words.
Some people claimed that Muslims like her wanted to change American laws. Many of these messages came from fake accounts trying to spread hate.
Ilhan Omar’s 9/11 Comments and Controversy
A newspaper used Ilhan’s words about 9/11 in wrong way that made people angry. Then Trump shared a video that took her words out of context. Some leaders said this could cause hate and violence.
Ilhan Omar blamed Trump for making people turn against Muslims and Jews.
Rude Comments by Lauren Boebert
In November 2021, Lauren Boebert, a Democratic leader, said she was formerly in an elevator with Ilhan Omar and thought she was a terrorist. She also called her part of “Jihad Squad. But Omar refused these all statements.
Personal Life of Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Omar first religiously married Ahmed Hirsi and had two children. Latterly, she married Ahmed Elmi, also separated, and got back with Hirsi, having a third child.
In 2018, she fairly married Hirsi but disassociated in 2019. In 2020, she married Tim Mynett, a political worker. That same time, she wrote a book about her life.
Net Worth of Ilhan Omar
In 2018, Ilhan Omar’s money situation wasn’t good, and she had a debt of $45,001. In 2025, she said she doesn’t have a lot of money, doesn’t enjoy a house or stocks, and is still paying back scholar loans. Some people say she’s veritably rich, but she has denied this.
Conclusion
Ilhan Omar is a famous leader and one of the first Muslim women in the U.S. Congress. She works for mortal rights, fair immigration laws, and better programs for people. Numerous people support her, but she also faces reviews and attacks. Indeed with challenges, she keeps fighting for fairness and change in the country.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ilhan Omar Net Worth?
She has a payment of$ 174,000 due to the part of U.S. congresswoman. In 2018, she had a debt of$ 45,001
What’s Ilhan Omar’s religion?
Her religion is Islam. She’s a Muslim and lately bandied about her beliefs.
Who’s Ilhan Omar’s daughter?
Her daughter is Isra Hirsi. She works for climate change and social justice.
What’s Ilhan Omar’s hubby’s religion?
Tim Mynett is her hubby. Tim follows Christianity.