MN-05: Omar Hits the Airwaves as Minnesota Primary Challenge Heats Up
ep. Ilhan Omar launched her first TV ad and has beefed up her Facebook presence in response to the increasing threat of a primary challenger.
The defensive moves are a sign that the Aug. 11 race is closer than the Minnesota Democrat’s campaign had previously let on.
Antone Melton-Meaux, a lawyer who has never held elected office, is posing an unusually strong challenge to a Democratic incumbent in the Minneapolis-based 5th District, former Democratic-Farmer-Labor Chairman Mike Erlandson said.
He outraised Omar in the second quarter — $3.2 million to $471,000 — and has spent $1.7 million on TV ads, according to Advertising Analytics. Erlandson said Melton-Meaux has also pushed an aggressive direct mail campaign. He’s targeted the freshman congresswoman for missing 40 House votes and for the lack of bills she’s sponsored, and, without mentioning the incumbent’s name, criticizes her for prioritizing her own profile over representing the district’s interests.
In a recent TV ad, Melton-Meaux touts his progressive bonafides and says he’s “not out to sell books, become a national celebrity or fight for my own agenda.” In another, he says, “I won’t be chasing cameras or selling books.”
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