The Minnesota Primary election will be held on Aug. 13, with seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, state legislature and school board on the ballot.

The race for the 5th Congressional District is considered the most competitive, with progressive incumbent Rep. Ilhan Omar facing a rematch against Don Samuels.

Winners of the primary election will reappear in the general election ballot on Nov. 5.

U.S. Senate Election

In the U.S. Senate election, incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar is the main Democratic contender. Klobuchar is the senior senator in Minnesota having served since 2007. Klobuchar is a high-profile member of the Senate and ran for president in 2020 before dropping out to support Joe Biden.

While there are several other Democratic candidates on the ballot, including Steve Carlson, Ahmad R. Hassan and George H. Kalberer, none have the same level of support, funding or name recognition as Klobuchar. 

Eight Republicans are running for the Senate seat, with the main candidates being Joe Fraser and Royce White. 

Fraser served as a Naval intelligence officer for 26 years. Fraser describes himself as a pro-Trump Republican running on increasing law enforcement funding. 

White is a former professional basketball player who ran for the 5th district in 2022 but lost. White’s campaign is focused on “culture clashes” and “the crisis of leadership worldwide,” according to his campaign website. 

White won the Republican Party endorsement in May but still needs to win the primary before officially becoming the Republican nominee.

The 5th Congressional District

The 5th District, which includes the City of Minneapolis, will see a rematch of the 2022 primary with incumbent Rep. Omar facing off against challenger Samuels. 

Omar has represented Minnesota in the 5th District since 2018. She is the first woman of color to represent Minnesota in Congress and the second Muslim woman to serve in the U.S. Congress. 

Throughout her three terms in office, Omar has caught national attention. She is a strong critic of former President Donald Trump and a member of “The Squad,” a group of left-wing members in the U.S. House of Representatives. Omar has also been an outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Samuels is a former Minneapolis City Council member from 2003-2014. He ran for Congress in 2022 but lost by two percentage points. 

In an interview with the Minnesota Daily, Samuels said his campaign is not the same as his 2022 run.

“20 percent of the voters are undecided,” Samuels said. “With her having a hundred percent name recognition and me having still 25 percent name recognition, I have room to grow. She does not.” 

Only one Republican, Dalia Al-Aqidi, is running in the heavily Democratic 5th District. He is all but guaranteed to be on the ballot in November. 

Minneapolis School Board

In the Minneapolis School Board race, three candidates are running. 

The Minneapolis School Board race is nonpartisan, and there is one seat available. Kim Ellison, Elena Condos and Shayla Owodunni are all vying for that seat.

This primary will be followed by the general election, which will take place on Nov. 5. Early voting begins on Sept. 20. 

Mail-in ballots can be requested online at the Minnesota Secretary of State website, alongside information on where to vote and sample ballots.