Minnesota's 5th congressional district

"MN-5" redirects here. The term may also refer to Minnesota State Highway 5.

Minnesota's 5th congressional district
Map
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative
Area124[1] sq mi (320 km2)
Distribution
  • 100% urban[2]
  • 0% rural
Population (2023)702,050[3]
Median household
income		$83,394[4]
Ethnicity
Cook PVID+30[5]
External image
image icon This govtrack.us map is a useful representation of the 5th CD's borders, based on Google Maps.

Minnesota's 5th congressional district is a geographically small urban and suburban congressional district in Minnesota. It covers eastern Hennepin County, including the entire city of Minneapolis, along with parts of Anoka and Ramsey counties. Besides Minneapolis, major cities in the district include Brooklyn Center, St. Louis Park, Richfield, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Golden Valley, New Hope, Fridley, and a small portion of Edina.

It was created in 1883, and was nicknamed the "Bloody Fifth" on account of its first election.[6] The contest between Knute Nelson and Charles F. Kindred involved graft, intimidation, and election fraud at every turn. The Republican convention on July 12 in Detroit Lakes was compared to the historic Battle of the Boyne in Ireland. One hundred and fifty delegates fought over eighty seats. After a scuffle in the main conference center, the Kindred and Nelson campaigns nominated each of their candidates.[7][8]

The district is strongly Democratic, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index (CPVI) of D+30 — by far the most Democratic district in the state.[5] The 5th is also the most Democratic district in the Upper Midwest. The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) has held the seat without interruption since 1963, and the Republicans have not tallied more than 40 percent of the vote in almost half a century. The 5th district is one of the most diverse in Minnesota; 16% of the district's residents are immigrants, the highest of any district in Minnesota, with the largest countries of origin being Somalia, Ethiopia, Mexico, India, Laos, Ecuador, and Liberia.[9] The district also has the largest population of Somali Americans in the country, with Somalis making up 3% of the district's population.[10]

The district is represented by Ilhan Omar, who is the first Somali–American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota in that chamber. Omar, also an American Muslim, succeeded Keith Ellison, the first American Muslim to serve in Congress, after he was elected Minnesota Attorney General.[11][12]

  1. ^ "Minnesota congressional districts by urban and rural population and land area" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2007.
  2. ^ "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)". www.census.gov. US Census Bureau Geography. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  3. ^ "My Congressional District". www.census.gov. Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "My Congressional District Bureau". www.census.gov. Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau.
  5. ^ a b "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  6. ^ Martin, Lawrence (July 15, 2003). "Thursday Night Hikes: Capitol Hill/Cathedral Hill Hike Architecture Notes, Part 2". Archived from the original on April 6, 2005. Retrieved February 27, 2007.
  7. ^ Martin, Lawrence (July 15, 2003). "Thursday Night Hikes: Capitol Hill/Cathedral Hill Hike Architecture Notes, Part 2". Archived from the original on April 6, 2005. Retrieved February 27, 2007.
  8. ^ Carl Zapffe (1946). Brainerd, Minnesota, 1871–1946: Seventy-fifth Anniversary. Published under the auspices of the Brainerd Civic Association.
  9. ^ "The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas". statisticalatlas.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  10. ^ "The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas". statisticalatlas.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  11. ^ Ellison, Keith [@keithellison] (June 5, 2018). "Today, I am announcing my candidacy to be the People's Lawyer, and to protect and defend all Minnesotans as your next Attorney General" (Tweet). Retrieved June 5, 2018 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Bierschbach, Briana; Bakst, Brian; Pugmire, Tim (June 5, 2018). "Filing deadline drama: Rep. Omar jumps into race for Congress". Minnesota Public Radio. St. Paul, Minnesota: American Public Media Group. Retrieved August 19, 2018.