Iraq War veteran Chris Kelley to challenge Ilhan Omar in 2020 Minnesota House bid

Longtime Minneapolis police officer and Iraq War veteran Chris Kelley announced this week that he would challenge Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in 2020.

Kelley, a 27-year veteran of the U.S. Army and Army Reserves and 20-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department, ran as a Republican in a 2016 Senate bid, but after failing to gain the party’s endorsement, he is running as an independent in 2020.

“What I’m hoping to achieve is maybe bridging the gap between the parties and get some legislation done,” he said. “I want to be able to work with both sides.”

Kelley said that Omar is “more concerned about her celebrity” status and “not really focusing” on the 5th Congressional District that she represents, while issues such as the opioid crisis and homelessness aren’t addressed. “These are things I want to bring to the forefront," he said. "These are things we need to deal with, and our current congresswoman is not doing her job. That is the concern.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/456020-iraq-war-veteran-chris-kelley-to-challenge-ilhan-omar-in-2020-minnesota-house