Minnesota Black Lives Matter (BLM) leader Nekima Levy Armstrong no longer supports Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Instead, a new progressive canidate is gaining traction.
“For the last 15 months, I have waited in vain for Rep. Ilhan Omar to rise to the occasion of prioritizing the needs of the Fifth Congressional District above many of her distractions, which have garnered national headlines and attention,” Armstrong wrote in a recent op-ed.
Because of her frustration with Omar’s “neglect” of Minnesota’s 5th district, Armstrong says she now supports Antone Melton-Meaux, a self described “progressive democrat” who is challenging Omar in the primary elections.
Armstrong says that she was convinced to support Melton-Meaux after she read a scathing op-ed he recently penned against Omar that lists several reasons why the congresswoman “doesn’t work for us [Minnesotans].”
“Rep. Omar has the seventh-worst attendance record for missed votes among first-term representatives,” he points out. “From October to December last year, she missed more votes than 94% of Congress. That doesn’t work for us.”
He also highlights Omar’s rampant anti semitism, her unwillingness to condemn the Armenian Genocide, her habit of fundraising in other states and the fact that she’s spent significant time traveling “back to Africa” during her term in office.
Although Melton-Meaux harshly criticizes Omar’s behavior, he does not seem to disagree with most parts of her political platform. On his campaign website, he expresses his support for strict energy regulations, lackadaisical border security, government funding for healthcare and college, and an economic program that seems to borrow heavily from the likes of Senator Bernie Sanders.
Melton-Meaux has also been endorsed by the Pro-Israel America PAC, and seems to have a strong, if small, contingency of supporters who express their support on social media.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
