Oman Daily Observer

From Somalia to Washington, DC

- ANDY SULLIVAN

lhan Omar fled civil war in Somalia and spent four years of her childhood in a refugee camp in Kenya. Now she is poised to win a seat in the US Congress, taking on a president who has tried to prevent people like her from coming to America.

The Democratic state legislator is heavily favoured to win her Minneapoli­sbased district over Republican Jennifer Zielinski in the November 6 congressio­nal elections, which could make her one of the first Muslim women elected to the US House of Representa­tives.

Omar, a 36-year-old naturalise­d American citizen, said she is running for office to make sure fewer people have to struggle with the daily necessitie­s of life, something she was shocked to find when she arrived in the United States as a refugee with her family at age 12.

“I did not expect to come to the United States and go to school with kids who were worried about food as much as I was worried about it in a refugee camp,” Omar said in an interview.

An Omar win would not affect the balance of power in the House, where her party needs to win 23 seats to take a majority, because she would succeed fellow Democrat Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress in 2006. Ellison is stepping down to run for Minnesota state attorney general.

She is campaignin­g on policies embraced by the most liberal wing of the Democratic Party — universal healthcare, free college tuition, robust public housing — that are popular in a district that has not elected a Republican to the House since 1962. MAKING HISTORY Omar made history two years ago when she became the first Somaliamer­ican in the country to win a seat in a state legislatur­e, unseating a 44-year incumbent Democrat along the way. No Somali-american has ever served in the US Congress.

That same night, Republican Donald Trump won the presidency after a campaign in which he called for a ban on some Muslims entering the United States.

Trump has since banned people from Omar’s native Somalia and several other countries from entering the United States, citing national security concerns. He also has sharply scaled back the number of refugees admitted into the country.

Like many liberal Democrats, Omar has said she would vote to impeach Trump, citing his business conflicts and the ongoing investigat­ion into his presidenti­al campaign’s ties to Russia. Many Democratic leaders ahead of the election have downplayed the possibilit­y of impeachmen­t, wary of inciting a backlash from Trump supporters.

The US Constituti­on gives Congress the power to remove a president from office through the impeachmen­t process for treason, bribery or other “high crimes and misdemeano­urs.” No president has ever been removed through impeachmen­t.

Omar also said removing Trump from office would elevate Vice President Mike Pence, known for his own conservati­ve views.

Trump backs Florida’s Republican candidates ahead of midterms

“It is a completely difficult position to be in,” Omar said. “Yes for impeachmen­t, lots of anxiety about what comes next.”

With her election all but assured, Omar has been campaignin­g for other Democrats across Minnesota. She has sent roughly $50,000 to other Democratic House candidates around the country, according to an aide, Connor Mcnutt.

She has been accused by a Republican state legislator of misusing campaign funds while in the state legislatur­e. Records showed she has spent money on trips to Estonia as well as Boston and other cities, and she has returned $2,500 in speaking fees from two state colleges. Omar said she believes her office has complied with campaign-finance rules.

If elected, Omar may take office at the same time as another Muslim woman, Democrat Rashida Tlaib, who is running in a solidly Democratic Detroit-area US House district.

Ilhan Omar is poised to make history as the first Somali-american elected to Congress and one of the first two Muslim women, in an age when President Trump is leading an immigratio­n crackdown

 ?? — Reuters ?? Ilhan Omar closer to becoming first African refugee in US Congress.
— Reuters Ilhan Omar closer to becoming first African refugee in US Congress.

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