Introduction
In this interview, Latonya Reeves shares her background and the priorities driving her campaign to become Minnesota’s next representative for the 5th Congressional District.
The seat has been held by Rep. Ilhan Omar since she won the DFL endorsement in 2018, defeating Margaret Kelliher. Any challenger—including Reeves—faces steep odds. Omar has demonstrated consistent strength in DFL primaries, winning by a wide margin over Antone Melton-Meaux in 2020, narrowly defeating Don Samuels by 2,466 votes in 2022, and expanding that margin to 16,087 in 2024. In Minneapolis, where the Republican Party does not mount competitive campaigns, winning the DFL primary effectively ensures victory. “Safe” districts such as this often allow members of Congress to serve for decades, as seen with Hal Rogers (R-Kentucky, 87 years old) and Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland, 86 years old), who have both represented their districts since 1981.
At the same time, the CD5 seat is largely symbolic at present. Rep. Omar has not sponsored a bill that became law since December 2022, when a post office at 100 South 1st Street was renamed the Martin Olav Sabo Post Office. This level of legislative output appears acceptable to most district voters. Her national profile continues to grow—particularly as she positions herself as a leading voice against Trump-era policies. Trump’s recent pledge to end Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in Minnesota will likely heighten Omar’s prominence and make any primary challenge even more difficult.
We respect Reeves for choosing to run and for elevating issues she believes deserve greater attention. As Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in New York demonstrated, long odds can be overcome—especially when candidates speak directly to the concerns of their communities.
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Interview Summary
Latonya Reeves opens the conversation by outlining her extensive political and public-safety background, including her roles as a DNC member, chair of Minneapolis’s Community Commission on Police Oversight, member of the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission, and president of the Hennepin County probation and parole union. She explains that she entered the race for Congress in Minnesota’s Fifth District after repeated encouragement from community members who felt unheard, divided, and disillusioned within the current Democratic Party. Reeves positions herself as a bridge builder who can negotiate, collaborate, and represent the full range of communities in the district.
Throughout the interview, Reeves highlights three core priorities: union rights, public safety, and housing. She argues for raising the federal minimum wage, strengthening collective bargaining, and shifting the public-safety conversation beyond policing to include housing, mental-health care, and economic stability. On housing, she stresses the need for both subsidies and homeownership pathways, and she calls for accountability in Minnesota’s housing stabilization programs, which she believes have been undermined by fraud. Reeves also emphasizes the importance of bipartisan work—particularly on housing and federal funding—while asserting that Democrats need clearer messaging that speaks to everyday kitchen-table concerns such as rent, food costs, and small-business vitality.
We close with discussions of immigration, health care, reproductive rights, and transgender inclusion in sports. Reeves calls for humane and consistent immigration processes, supports universal health care, backs drug-price negotiations, and firmly defends abortion rights and transgender participation in athletics. She frames these positions as rooted in dignity, equity, and practical outcomes for families. Reeves concludes by stating that many constituents in the district feel unheard by the incumbent and that she intends to refocus the role of the representative on listening closely to community priorities rather than pursuing personal agendas.
