U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum had an early lead as she fought to hang on to her long-held congressional seat against Democratic challenger Amane Badhasso.
First-time candidate Badhasso is hoping to oust McCollum in Minnesota's 4th Congressional District, a DFL stronghold that includes most of Ramsey County and part of Washington County. McCollum, 68, has represented the district for more than two decades and leads the powerful House defense appropriations subcommittee.
The results were still coming in when this story was published.
Badhasso, a 32-year-old community organizer and political operative, argued it's time for generational change. If elected, she would be the first Oromo and first person from Ethiopia elected to Congress, according to her campaign.
McCollum had a financial advantage headed into the primary and had been endorsed by most of Minnesota's prominent elected Democrats. But in recent election cycles, Democratic House incumbents in other states were ousted by intra-party challengers, showing longtime lawmakers in safe blue seats can be vulnerable.
"Voters know I work hard in Congress to fight for our values and deliver results for Minnesota. But I believe integrity, honesty, and decency still matter in DFL politics and that's what my campaign delivered to voters this primary election," McCollum said in a statement Tuesday.
The campaign between McCollum and Badhasso has been one of the state's more contentious primary contests. Badhasso painted McCollum as out of touch, while McCollum countered that her opponent is using misinformation and lies.
At the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in St. Paul, voters offered differing takes Tuesday on McCollum. Damion Smith, a school psychologist, showed up at the poll in large part to support her. Reid Roswell, a local business owner who fixes houses, said he wants a representative "in tune with the actual issues," including Medicare For All and defunding police. "Definitely not Betty McCollum," he said.
A third candidate, Fasil Moghul, was also on the Democratic primary ballot. Tuesday's DFL winner is all but certain to secure the seat this fall, though three Republicans are also running to advance to the general election.
Star Tribune intern Hana Ikramuddin contributed to this report.
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