It would be great to have reasonable, pragmatic representation for our district. I’ve never felt Omar had any desire to fit that bill. Omar’s been more interested in the limelight than actually representing her constituents.
I haven’t watched the interview, but based on the summary, Reeves’ positions are spot-on for what Dems need to improve the lives of the masses. Not just the left, but everyone. This is what progressives used to stand for, until the movement was hijacked by the likes of “The Squad.”
The left flank (socialists, "progressives", and assorted super users of social media) Seem to hate Latonya. I don't really understand it. Her positions appear to fit in all of the Democratic party areas. Is it because she is challenging the overly popular Omar Illhan? Has she made enemies along the way? From what I can figure there is some other baggage there too. There are frequent referrals to when she used her pronouns as being "black" or something like that in some meeting. So that gets thrown a lot around a lot... Unfortunately the Left flank seems to hold some sway here in Minneapolis. Possibly in greater Minnesota as well 😞
Anyway, she sounds like a great candidate to me. I don't think I quite understand why so many of the kids but not embrace her as a candidate.
I don't feel like Congresswoman Omar is overly popular. She is definitely very popular amongst her ardent base of support (hence all the social media attacks on any challengers). If she was that popular she would not have a primary challenger every election and should be getting 85 Plus percent of the primary vote. The only reason she wins by such large numbers in the general election is because most of us in CD5 will not vote for a Republican. There is a large group of voters in CD5 who want a congressperson who can actually get bills passed and do things for our district and not just be a Twitter provocateur. Congresswoman Omar has shown she is not that person. I look forward to learning more about Latonya's candidacy. And if the DSA Twitter Mafia does not like her, she sounds like she'll be great!
Please correct me if I’m wrong but I believe the problem arose from a situation where a biological female who identified as a male person challenged processes at a DFL Woman’s caucus meeting (where Reeves is a leader). This individual or one of his/her allies asked Reeves to declare her (Reeves) pronouns and Reeves said “Black”. The DFL Women’s caucus had previously voted to include MTF women within the caucus, but a biological female who identifies as a male and then also wants to participate in the DFL Women’s caucus seems like a complete dissolution of any meaning of a women’s caucus….or being a woman.
I would not be in a position to correct you. That sounds like part of the story that I've cobbled together. And anticipating that is mostly accurate, it makes my head hurt a little bit.
It does not explain why the extremists would perseverate on this though. I've even seen them referring to her as a TERF which seems pretty ridiculous.
If Terry is right though it might just be that they see anybody running against Omar as a threat. And this is just a convenient thing get stuck on.
As an Ilhan supporter, I listened to the whole interview and I didn’t hear any positions where she differentiated herself from the incumbent. On every topic that was discussed (immigration, health care, reproductive rights, union rights, transgender inclusion in sports, etc.), Latonya seems to agree with Ilhan’s positions. So if Latonya agrees with the incumbent on seemingly everything, then why isn’t Latonya just supporting the incumbent? I struggle to understand the point of this primary challenge.
I can't speak for her, but I thought she made the case that she was more able to bring the party together. She spoke several times about being a bridge builder.
Yeah I did hear her mention that in the interview. But if “Bringing the Party Together” is going to be Latonya’s way of differentiating herself from the incumbent as a Challenger, then I don’t think that will be a credible message given that Ilhan is already endorsed by Governor Walz, AG Ellison, both US Senators Smith and Klobuchar, as well as Congressional Leaders like House Democratic Leader Jeffries and House Democratic Chief Whip Clark. And it is only November, so of course more prominent endorsements will be rolling out next year.
So I think the Party has already been “brought together” by Ilhan.
I think the benefit of having Latonya Reeves is that she can actually get some bills passed, work with other members of Congress and not just operate as a Twitter star like Ihan wants to be. She can actually get some of this agenda done and passed which would be a huge benefit to our district.
It will be the same cast of characters that we saw in a number of our wards in our Mpls City Council elections. So many were straight up vicious, and willing to do and say just about anything, to get their DSA endorsed/ or aligned candidates through.
This organized network of folks want NO viable competition for Omar so they will work, and have been working ( primarily by using social media) to attack, as they try to disable ANY qualified candidate.
Ilhan Omar Works to Endorse Socialists Over Democrats | Minneapolis Times
"Omar has not only been using her endorsement to help Wonsley. Omar has had her staff also help train people to go to caucuses, get elected as delegates, and block the DFL endorsement. For example, on March 17, Omar jointly hosted an event with Attorney General Keith Ellison and Wonsley."
There are two accepted truths held by many in Minneapolis politics. One is that campaigning on an agenda that emphasizes identity politics and opposition to the police will increase voter turnout and motivate voters on the left to turnout. The second is that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has successfully used these and other issues to motivate a base of supporters in ways that she outperforms other Democrats in the polls. Yiscah Bracha’s six-part piece questions those two truths. She undertakes a detailed statistical analysis of Omar’s election results, finding that she underperforms compared to other Democrats and in fact her candidate strategy may actually discourage some form voting. Bracha’s analysis is a definite read and it (along with my column) raises important questions about politics, issues, and voting as we head into the 2025 Minneapolis elections.
It would be great to have reasonable, pragmatic representation for our district. I’ve never felt Omar had any desire to fit that bill. Omar’s been more interested in the limelight than actually representing her constituents.
I haven’t watched the interview, but based on the summary, Reeves’ positions are spot-on for what Dems need to improve the lives of the masses. Not just the left, but everyone. This is what progressives used to stand for, until the movement was hijacked by the likes of “The Squad.”
The left flank (socialists, "progressives", and assorted super users of social media) Seem to hate Latonya. I don't really understand it. Her positions appear to fit in all of the Democratic party areas. Is it because she is challenging the overly popular Omar Illhan? Has she made enemies along the way? From what I can figure there is some other baggage there too. There are frequent referrals to when she used her pronouns as being "black" or something like that in some meeting. So that gets thrown a lot around a lot... Unfortunately the Left flank seems to hold some sway here in Minneapolis. Possibly in greater Minnesota as well 😞
Anyway, she sounds like a great candidate to me. I don't think I quite understand why so many of the kids but not embrace her as a candidate.
Yes, I think the group you describe is so intent on keeping Omar in office that they will attack any challengers.
Another thing to consider is the fact that ilhan has twice unsuccessfully tried to use her perceived popularity to oust Frey as mayor.
I don't feel like Congresswoman Omar is overly popular. She is definitely very popular amongst her ardent base of support (hence all the social media attacks on any challengers). If she was that popular she would not have a primary challenger every election and should be getting 85 Plus percent of the primary vote. The only reason she wins by such large numbers in the general election is because most of us in CD5 will not vote for a Republican. There is a large group of voters in CD5 who want a congressperson who can actually get bills passed and do things for our district and not just be a Twitter provocateur. Congresswoman Omar has shown she is not that person. I look forward to learning more about Latonya's candidacy. And if the DSA Twitter Mafia does not like her, she sounds like she'll be great!
Please correct me if I’m wrong but I believe the problem arose from a situation where a biological female who identified as a male person challenged processes at a DFL Woman’s caucus meeting (where Reeves is a leader). This individual or one of his/her allies asked Reeves to declare her (Reeves) pronouns and Reeves said “Black”. The DFL Women’s caucus had previously voted to include MTF women within the caucus, but a biological female who identifies as a male and then also wants to participate in the DFL Women’s caucus seems like a complete dissolution of any meaning of a women’s caucus….or being a woman.
I would not be in a position to correct you. That sounds like part of the story that I've cobbled together. And anticipating that is mostly accurate, it makes my head hurt a little bit.
It does not explain why the extremists would perseverate on this though. I've even seen them referring to her as a TERF which seems pretty ridiculous.
If Terry is right though it might just be that they see anybody running against Omar as a threat. And this is just a convenient thing get stuck on.
Thank you for the extra clarification!
What does TERF mean? I’m not familiar. Thx
Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist
As an Ilhan supporter, I listened to the whole interview and I didn’t hear any positions where she differentiated herself from the incumbent. On every topic that was discussed (immigration, health care, reproductive rights, union rights, transgender inclusion in sports, etc.), Latonya seems to agree with Ilhan’s positions. So if Latonya agrees with the incumbent on seemingly everything, then why isn’t Latonya just supporting the incumbent? I struggle to understand the point of this primary challenge.
I can't speak for her, but I thought she made the case that she was more able to bring the party together. She spoke several times about being a bridge builder.
Yeah I did hear her mention that in the interview. But if “Bringing the Party Together” is going to be Latonya’s way of differentiating herself from the incumbent as a Challenger, then I don’t think that will be a credible message given that Ilhan is already endorsed by Governor Walz, AG Ellison, both US Senators Smith and Klobuchar, as well as Congressional Leaders like House Democratic Leader Jeffries and House Democratic Chief Whip Clark. And it is only November, so of course more prominent endorsements will be rolling out next year.
So I think the Party has already been “brought together” by Ilhan.
I think the benefit of having Latonya Reeves is that she can actually get some bills passed, work with other members of Congress and not just operate as a Twitter star like Ihan wants to be. She can actually get some of this agenda done and passed which would be a huge benefit to our district.
It will be the same cast of characters that we saw in a number of our wards in our Mpls City Council elections. So many were straight up vicious, and willing to do and say just about anything, to get their DSA endorsed/ or aligned candidates through.
This organized network of folks want NO viable competition for Omar so they will work, and have been working ( primarily by using social media) to attack, as they try to disable ANY qualified candidate.
Ilhan Omar Works to Endorse Socialists Over Democrats | Minneapolis Times
https://minneapolistimes.com/ilhan-omar-works-to-endorse-socialists-over-democrats/
Excerpt...
"Omar has not only been using her endorsement to help Wonsley. Omar has had her staff also help train people to go to caucuses, get elected as delegates, and block the DFL endorsement. For example, on March 17, Omar jointly hosted an event with Attorney General Keith Ellison and Wonsley."
This six part series by the Mpls Times is worth a read. It helps to explain why MANY would love to see Omar replaced.
Ilhan Omar and the DFL: Insights from Eight Years of Election Results (Pt 1) | Minneapolis Times
https://minneapolistimes.com/ilhan-omar-and-the-dfl-insights-from-eight-years-of-election-results-pt-1/
About this Series
There are two accepted truths held by many in Minneapolis politics. One is that campaigning on an agenda that emphasizes identity politics and opposition to the police will increase voter turnout and motivate voters on the left to turnout. The second is that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has successfully used these and other issues to motivate a base of supporters in ways that she outperforms other Democrats in the polls. Yiscah Bracha’s six-part piece questions those two truths. She undertakes a detailed statistical analysis of Omar’s election results, finding that she underperforms compared to other Democrats and in fact her candidate strategy may actually discourage some form voting. Bracha’s analysis is a definite read and it (along with my column) raises important questions about politics, issues, and voting as we head into the 2025 Minneapolis elections.
– David Schultz, Editor-In-Chief