Dalia Al-Aqidi
Party Affiliation: Republican
daliaforcongress.org
Dalia Al-Aqidi was born in Iraq and has lived all over the world. She fled in 1988 during the Saddam Hussein reign, and has been a journalist for 36 years. She’s lived in Minneapolis since 2019.
Top areas of focus:
• She believes inflation and cost of living are key issues that should be addressed, and it’s hitting Americans hard. She believes we need to make it easier for people and small businesses to succeed, and that we can’t keep printing money.
• Al-Aqidi thinks crime and safety are highly important and that crime, violence and carjackings must stop.
• Border security is a big issue for her, and she believes she understands how important it is for us to secure our borders. She had to go through a long vetting process to immigrate to the U.S. and that we can’t open our borders without knowing who is coming in.
Unique qualifications, and what differentiates her:
• She wants voters to know that she’s not running for Republicans alone, and wants to represent the communities that make our district a wonderful place to live.
• She’s not afraid to take a stand. All she wants is to represent the district; and her past career has helped her understand that every side has two stories.
• Al-Aqidi doesn’t support the far right and will fight the far left. She believes these factions cloud decisions and that it’s time for moderation in our country.
• She wants to rebuild the police force and find solutions to crime. She believes there are bad people everywhere but we cannot demonize the police.
• Al-Aqidi thinks our police officers need the resources, respect and recognition that they deserve. She also wants to promote transparency to rebuild the relationship between communities and the police.
Roe v. Wade:
• She believes the federal government has no place in the decision. She is pro-life but believes that are other ways to be pro-life without banning abortion at the federal level.
• She feels it’s crucial to avoid making extreme policies and that compassion and balance should be part of our lives.
Crime:
• Al-Aqidi supports a strong police force and providing them with the resources they need to keep us safe; while relying on transparency to build back community trust.
What should voters know?
• She believes she’s a great listener as a journalist and will rely heavily on connecting with constituents to hear and understand their problems and issues. She doesn’t claim to have all the answers; this is a learning process.
• Al-Aqidi wants to build bridges between the different races and religions within the district.
Abena McKenzie
Party Affiliation: Democrat
no website—can be found on Facebook
Abena McKenzie is a nurse, and the oldest of seven children with deep roots in Hennepin County since the ’60s. She has never held public office, but considers herself “politically educated” from the last several elections and an astute student. Her goal is to stand up for people and help mothers and fathers of the community — the common, simple people. She feels times have changed and the party has changed. She would like to see a move back to family stability.
Top areas of focus:
• She would like to create high school programs to give kids direction and support and expose students to various trades through bridge programs and apprenticeships. She would also like to see peer-to-peer tutoring programs become a bigger focus.
• Police should be highly involved in the community and interacting with the community. McKenzie would like to redirect young people away from gun violence and create a police academy apprentice program so that the people policing the streets are the people living in the neighborhoods they serve.
• McKenzie thinks stabilizing families is imperative and that families should have the resources they need to thrive.
• She would like to put a new emphasis on civic duty, whereby citizens would be fairly compensated for things such as jury duty. She would like to instill pride in serving the community.
• And she would like to focus on veterans’ homelessness.
Unique qualifications and what differentiates her:
• She sees shelters as a temporary fix but would like to see more done to enable people to become homeowners.
• McKenzie would like to see more grants given at the community level. Believes we need new leadership and a fresh start with things like community mentorship programs.
What should voters know?
• McKenzie is well known in the Minneapolis area, with deep family roots.
• She is in touch with the community.
Roe v. Wade:
• She promotes families, family stability and marriage. The city needs family stability, home ownership, and there are a lot of ways government can help.
Crime:
• We need community mentorship from the grassroots. And to be in touch from a grassroots perspective. We need to identify high risk individuals. “I know we can’t stop everything but we can address that.”
• McKenzie will promote high school police academy program to get kids out into their community.
Ilhan Omar
Party Affiliation: Democrat
ilhanomar.com
Ilhan Omar is the incumbent candidate. She has represented District 5 since 2016.
Top areas of focus:
• Reproductive Rights: Rep. Omar believes all people should have the ability to make decisions about their bodies. Every person — no matter where they live or what their economic status — is entitled to safe, quality reproductive healthcare, which includes access to pregnancy-related care like IVF, contraceptive medication and abortion services.
• Economic Justice and Workers’ Rights: Omar believes we must build an equitable economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few. That’s why she is fighting to end corporate greed and ensure all workers earn a living wage.
• Healthcare for All: Omar fights for policies like Medicare for All, that would guarantee quality care for every American. She has also pushed legislation to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable and lower the cost of prescription drugs.
Unique qualifications, and what differentiates her:
• Omar has been steadfast in her commitment to public service, since the age of 14 when she was her grandfather’s interpreter at local DFL caucuses. Her love for organizing has continued ever since.
• Omar worked as a community educator at the University of Minnesota, and served as the vice-chair of the SD 61 DFL. She was also a Humphrey Policy Fellow and served as a senior policy aide for Minneapolis City Council Member Andrew Johnson. These experiences shaped her belief in co-governance — working side by side with community members to develop solutions that work for everyone.
• In 2016, she became the first Somali-American, Muslim legislator in the United States. Her campaign team increased voter turnout by 37%. Two years later, in 2018, she became the first African refugee to become a member of Congress, the first woman of color to represent Minnesota and one of the first two Muslim-American women elected to Congress.
What should voters know?
• She introduced the Homes for All Act which would fulfill the promise of a homes guarantee by investing $1 trillion in the construction of 12 million new public housing and private, permanently affordable rental units. Her bill would expand the available affordable housing stock, drive down costs throughout the market and create a new vision of what public housing looks like in the United States.
• She introduced the Universal School Meals Act to provide free breakfast, lunch and dinner to every student in America —without demanding they prove they are poor enough to deserve help.
• Omar is a co-sponsor of the Ceasefire Now Resolution in Congress which calls for an end to the violence in Israel and Palestine. She has condemned Hamas for the atrocities they committed on Oct. 7. She also condemns the atrocities that the Israeli government is committing against Palestinians in Gaza.
Roe v. Wade:
See Reproductive Rights answer under “Top areas of focus:” at right for details on the Representative’s stance on this issue. She is committed to continuing to be a steadfast advocate for reproductive rights, especially when it comes to the preservation of our bodily autonomy and access to healthcare.
Crime:
• After George Floyd’s murder, Congresswoman Omar and House Democrats moved swiftly to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in order to establish new standards of policing, ban the use of choke holds, stop no-knock warrants, prohibit racial profiling and end qualified immunity for police, among many other reforms. She worked with the family of Amir Locke to introduce the Amir Locke End Deadly No-Knock Warrants Act, a bill to strictly limit the use of no-knock warrants, quick-knock warrants, flash-bang grenades and other military-grade weapons.
• She also introduced four new bills to reform law enforcement at the federal level. The Protect our Protesters Act which would criminalize police violence against demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights. The National Police Misuse of Force Investigation Board Act which would establish a federal agency
responsible for investigating all nationwide deaths occurring in police custody, officer-involved shootings and uses of force that result in severe bodily injury. Amending the Insurrection Act would curtail a president’s ability
to deploy the military domestically without Congressional consent. A bill to create a federal relief fund, specifically for communities trying to rebuild after social and civil rights crises would help cities and businesses get back on their feet. Abandoning those who have faced financial consequences only sets the stage for future conflict.
What should voters know?
• Congresswoman Omar is running to serve the community members that welcomed her family of refugees with open arms. The people of the 5th District have always led with their progressive values — she is proud to do the same as their representative.
Editor’s note: Omar was not available for a telephone interview. Her staff provided the answers via email.
Don Samuels
Party Affiliation: Democrat
donsamuels.com
Don Samuels is a former school board member, community activist and former member of the Minneapolis City Council from 2003 to 2014. He made a commitment while in college to always live in a low-income, minority neighborhood and believes change happens from the bottom up. His move to North Minneapolis after marrying his wife Sondra determined the trajectory of both their lives.
Top areas of focus:
• Samuels believes that public safety is still not settled and that it’s critical to restore the trust between the community and law enforcement.
• He strongly supports the Democratic Party’s platform for womens’ rights, LBGTQ+ rights and action on environmental issues
• Homelessness and affordable housing. He believes we have to do better to take care of people who fall through the cracks.
• He believes the economy is a critical issue especially for young people who are losing their hope of a good life and not being able to achieve what their parents may have.
Unique qualifications, and what differentiates him:
• Samuels came into politics at age 51 and had a career in the private sector before entering politics.
• He has lived his whole life in the most challenging cities and has a great understanding of the issues people face and the impact of generational poverty.
• He holds a Masters of Community degree which provides an understanding of how inequities persist in the environment and in culture.
• His original city council ward included Northeast, which was mostly white, and North Minneapolis, which was mostly Black. He says that taught him how to bring diverse groups and thinking together.
• Samuels says he will go to Washington to be a workhorse, and not a show horse.
Roe v. Wade:
• Samuels thinks Kamala Harris as a presidential candidate carries the greatest hope for women’s equality — and carries the absolute obliteration of the ultimate glass ceiling.
• He sees that as the best signal for enshrining Roe v. Wade into law, and believes it will be done in his first term.
• He believes a Harris presidency will send a signal that any efforts to roll back women’s sexual rights are at an end and we will continue to march forward for equity in every sphere of life.
Crime:
• Samuels says he’s serious about public safety because he lives in the least safe community. He doesn’t support defunding the police, and filed a lawsuit against the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey alleging that they did not hire enough police officers as required by the city charter.
•He plans to support the police and continue to find areas where national policies can improve police conduct and performance, while also seeking funding to help communities provide just and equitable policing.
What should voters know ?
• Samuels says he’s a collaborator and thinks relationships are the best tool to achieve positive change in the community. He plans to go to Congress to build relationships of change. He believes he has an optimistic view of America and thinks we have the best chance in the world to chart a path to continue to transcend our country to a more perfect union.
• Samuels says he’s in the race because “I believe that these are divisive times and we can’t afford to have leadership that exacerbates divisiveness.”
• Democrats have work to do, like restoring the infrastructure of the country, and consensus and collaboration are needed in Congress.
Nate Schluter
Party Affiliation: Democrat
no website—can be found on Facebook
Nate Schluter is a first-time candidate from North Minneapolis. He is retired and is a disabled veteran. He believes only natural-born citizens should be eligible to run for election, and said both Omar and Samuels are not natural citizens. He says he deserves the seat because he’s angry, and the Democrats don’t want him because they didn’t endorse him.
Top areas of focus:
• Wants more transparency in Congress, and in government.
• Supports No Child Left Behind and believes we need to do more for children and the elderly.
Unique qualifications, and what differentiates him:
• Schluter says he grew up in North Minneapolis and there’s nothing about the district he doesn’t know.
• He believes the Democratic Party doesn’t want him; and they didn’t endorse him.
• Schluter thinks anyone who has crossed the border illegally should get out and they should have to “come in the front door.”
What should voters know?
• Schluter says he “shoots from the hip,” and you won’t get a “political answer” from him.
• He hates political answers that don’t say anything.
Roe v. Wade:
• Schluter believes in a woman’s right to choose, but believes at some point the fetus has rights. He doesn’t think the federal government should have to pay for abortions.
• He believes that in the first trimester, it should be the parent’s choice, and in the second and third it should be doctors who help decide.
Crime:
• Schluter was and is against the idea of defunding the police.
• He thinks that you shouldn’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
• He believes crime has to do with fathers being in jail and not raising their children, and that you can’t legislate parenting.
• He doesn’t see parks filled with children playing sports and doing activities like he did in the past, which is important to building a community.
Vote August 13 in the primary and St. Anthony special election. Seats in the Minnesota House and the U.S. House are up for election. Want to know who to vote for? Check out https://myballotmn.sos.mn.gov. Early voting can by done by mail or in person at St. Anthony and Columbia Heights city halls, and at Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services, 980 E Hennepin Ave., until Aug. 13. Voting in person? Find your polling place at https://pollfinder.sos.mn.gov.