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State Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, and Republican activist Jennifer Zielinski are after the open seat in Congress now that Keith Ellison has decided to step down and run for Minnesota attorney general. 

The 5th District is very blue and hasn't elected a Republican since 1962. Ellison held the seat for four terms. 

Election 2018

Your need-to-know guide

Get a printable version of the guide here

Which of the candidates do you agree with most

The district includes Minneapolis and its suburbs to the west and north. 

Both Omar and Zielinski are making their first attempts at the open seat. Here's where they stand on the major issues this midterm election:

President Trump

Gun control

Health care

K-12 education

Higher education

Immigration

Abortion

Jobs and economy

Climate change

Copper-nickel mining

Taxes and gov't spending

Marijuana

 She has supported some of the president's policies, but said she 

 and high-capacity magazines, and she supports universal background checks and increased mental health services. 

 She says she supports a "Medicare for All, single-payer health care system to guarantee quality healthcare for all Americans." Omar also wants to crack down on pharmaceutical companies by shortening prescription drugs' patent life, requiring drug pricing transparency, as well as allowing prescription drugs to be imported from Canada and letting Medicare negotiate drug prices. 

 She wants to "fix the problems with affordability and effectiveness" of health care, but 

 she wouldn't vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act unless there was a better plan to take its place.

 federal funds for universal pre-K programs nationwide and affordable child care for "working families" with kids under 13 years old. 

 on education "is going to impact our kids in the classroom not growing administrative budgets." She says people should have "true choice" in education. 

 for all students at two- and four-year public institutions. She also wants to "cancel" existing student loan debt. 

 The candidate appears to have no public position. MPR News has reached out for comment.

wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

, create a pathway to legal status for all undocumented people and Dreamers, and expand the refugee and asylum-seeker program. 

 all women should have "access to a safe, affordable abortion."

 to $15 an hour and pass stronger wage theft laws. She wants the government to help fund worker-owned cooperatives and a federal jobs guarantee program. Omar also wants to reinstate the law separating commercial and investment banking while breaking up "too-big-to-fail" banks. 

 the current economic policy led by Republicans: "Americans' 401Ks are going up, we have more take home pay, consumer confidence is up ... I say things are going well."

 She supports legislation to make the U.S. use all renewable energy by 2035. She also says people most affected by climate change "must be centered in our policies: communities of color and Indigenous populations, along with workers who would be out of employment from a divestment from the fossil fuel industry."

 "I believe in climate has the ability to change as it has done since the earth was formed, but the U.S. should not rejoin Paris climate accords," she 

 the PolyMet and Twin Metals proposed copper-nickel mining plans. 

 Omar wants to repeal Republican tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and raise their taxes instead. She also wants to repeal tax breaks for fossil-fuel companies and increase the estate tax. Among the programs she wants the government to fund more is the 

 Zielinski supports the Republican tax plan and 

. "When you put more money in people's paychecks and allow our businesses to invest more in their business instead of paying higher taxes, everyone wins."

 Omar wants recreational marijuana for the entire U.S. and to 

 of people convicted of cannabis-related offenses. 

allow states to legalize and decriminalize

Politics and Government News

Minnesota Votes

NewsPartners

Cody Nelson

Author

Ilhan Omar and Jennifer Zielinski are after the 5th District's open seat in Congress now that Keith Ellison has decided to step down and run for Minnesota attorney general.

State Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, and Republican activist Jennifer Zielinski are after the open seat in Congress now that Keith Ellison has decided to step down and run for Minnesota attorney general.

They participated in a debate moderated by MPR News host Tom Crann.

Minnesota voter guide: Where the 5th District candidates stand on the issues

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