18 women candidates to watch for the 2018 midterms

2. Ilhan Omar (D)

State: Minnesota
Race: 5th District
Platform highlights: Ilhan Omar, currently favored to win her district’s election, favors a variety of left-leaning political causes. These include guaranteed access to public education, including high-quality childcare and pre-kindergarten programs, as well as better pathways to attend college without crippling debt.

Omar also favors a single-payer healthcare system that includes Medicare access for as many people as possible. She wants a clearer path to citizenship (stating that “our immigration system is fundamentally unjust”), a higher working wage, “bold action” in response to climate change, and a near-complete overhaul of the criminal justice system. Additionally, Omar states that “housing is a human” right, and therefore wants to ensure stable homes for all.

Why you should watch out for her: While Rashida Tlaib, the candidate favored to win in Michigan’s 13th District election, is favored to become one of the first Muslim women in Congress, chances are good that she won’t be the only one. Omar — who also became the first Somali-American legislator in the United States in 2016 — is poised to join Tlaib. She is also one of a very few Muslim Americans serving in state and national legislatures, not to mention the rare hijabi American politician.

Omar’s rise to political prominence is somewhat unexpected, given prior attitudes towards non-white, non-Christian, and non-male candidates. Yet, she has often garnered a commanding lead over her opponents, in spite of prevailing notions about voters’ perspectives and national leanings. Rather, it now appears that Omar is reflective a growing Minnesotan population of young, urban, and increasingly diverse constituents.

Campaign website: www.ilhanomar.com