Campaign: Congresswoman Ilhan Omar Raises $1.1M In 3rd Quarter Donations
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The campaign for Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar says she has raised more than $1 million in the third quarter -- an enormous amount for a freshman member of the United States Congress.
Her campaign officials said 75,653 donations came in between July and September, totaling a little more than $1.1 million. The average donation amount was $14.55.
Omar is now in her 10th month representing Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District, but the three months in which those donations poured in coincided with an onslaught of controversy and criticism, including an explosive tweet by President Donald Trump, where he told Omar and three other Congresswomen of color to "go back" to the "crime infested places from which they came."
In August, Omar and fellow Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib were denied entry to Israel by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the behest of President Trump. Omar is an outspoken critic of Israel, which she accuses of occupying Palestinian territories and oppressing its citizens.
Just weeks later, Omar was named in a divorce filing from the wife of her political consultant, Timothy Mynett, who alleged her husband was having an affair with the Congresswoman. Omar and Mynett both denied the allegations.
Hours after the filing was made public, Rep. Omar announced on Twitter that she was the target of a death threat, which was supposedly going to be carried out when she was at the Minnesota State Fair. The letter also said that Omar "won't die alone" in the attack. Omar had actually made her only trip to the fair earlier that week, and it was unannounced.
During a memorial service on the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the son of one of the victims criticized Omar for a speech she made in March at an event for the Council of American-Islamic Relations, when she discussed how the civil liberties of American Muslims were infringed upon in the wake of 9/11. She said infringements occurred because "Some people did something." Critics of the Congresswoman say her remark disrespected victims and the country itself. Rep. Omar says it was taken out of context.
Just one week later, President Trump retweeted a video that falsely claimed Omar danced on the anniversary of 9/11. The video was actually taken at a Congressional Black Caucus event later that weekend.
"The President of the United States is continuing to spread lies that put my life at risk," Omar said on Twitter.
Omar's campaign officials say 99.8 percent of her third-quarter donations were under $200, and 93% of the donations were made online.