State Rep. Keith Ellison won the 5th District Democratic primary Tuesday. His victory could bring the first black representative from Minnesota to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Muslim to Congress.
Jim Leinfelder, communications director for Ellison, said "buoyant euphoria" lofted through the room after announcement of the win.
"I've been to a lot of events like this and it's hard to remember anything like this since (Sen. Paul) Wellstone's first victory," he said.
University professor Larry Jacobs, director of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs' Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, said that in the 5th Congressional District, winning the primary is everything.
"The winner of the primary for the Democrats will almost certainly go to Congress," Jacobs said.
Republican Alan Fine ran unopposed in his primary and will face Ellison come November.
Democrat Martin Sabo left his office after 28 years, opening a spot for a new candidate to fill his shoes.
Ellison will continue to run a positive campaign of inclusion and peace, Leinfelder said.
"His success (Tuesday) is a testament to that," he said. "The turnout was reflective of this guy's ability to reach across any barrier you mention. There's no other way to explain what happened (Tuesday)."
Ellison said he had received congratulatory phone calls from Mike Erlandson and Ember Reichgott Junge, two of his main opponents.
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