Top GOP candidates avoid weighing in on Omar raid as DFLers condemn

Alex Derosier, Pioneer Press on Oct 12, 2026

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Minnesota elected officials fell along party lines in their reactions to a federal search at U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence, with her Democratic colleagues decrying the criminal investigation as politically motivated and some Republicans coming to the defense of the Trump administration.

While top Democratic officials and candidates were uniformly vocal in condemning the Monday morning raid, top Republican candidates for statewide office tempered their response or didn’t comment.

Republican candidate for Minnesota governor Lisa Demuth did not commit to a stance on the investigation when asked about it at an unrelated public safety news conference Monday morning in Minneapolis.

“We obviously have no more information than that. And so we’ll watch to see what takes place … and what is found there,” she told reporters outside the 2nd Precinct police station.

In a post on X, Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar raised concerns about the raid taking place within 30 days of an election. The U.S. Department of Justice has historically abided by an informal “60-day rule” where it does not openly investigate candidates two months before election day.

“The timing of this raid and reports that a White House official was involved raise serious questions that should concern all Americans, regardless of political party,” Klobuchar said in the post.

Homeland Security Investigations, part of the Department of Homeland Security, executed the warrant but referred questions to the Justice Department. Trump administration officials have alluded to an investigation of alleged immigration fraud by Omar.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly targeted Omar in speeches and online posts over the years, including a 2019 tweet where he said she and other lawmakers of color should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, shared a similar view to Klobuchar’s and took more direct aim at the president.

“Minnesotans will not be intimidated by Donald Trump. Neither will Ilhan Omar,” she said in a statement. “Trump’s use of the office of the presidency to attack his political enemies, our elected leaders and the people of this state is abhorrent. Especially three weeks from an election. The country should be outraged.”

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Michele Tafoya had not shared any statement on the federal raid as of Monday afternoon. Her campaign did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, the third-highest-ranking Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives and Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Alex Plechash were less reserved about the raid.

“Nobody is above the law,” Emmer wrote in a social media post. “HSI just executed a search warrant at Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C. home. We look forward to learning more details about this raid and investigation. ACCOUNTABILITY IS COMING!”

In a statement, Plechash quoted a 2023 Omar statement on criminal charges against Trump.

“She said it best back in 2023, when the subject of a criminal investigation was someone else: ‘Our democracy rests on the rule of law. When someone — no matter how powerful they are — is suspected of a criminal act, our justice system investigates, charges, and convicts them in accordance with due process.'”

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