Comparative Study of Two Democrats: Omar vs. Peterson

This essay provides a comparative analysis of two Democratic representatives from Minnesota, Ilhan Omar and Colin Peterson, highlighting their differing political ideologies and approaches. The essay begins by establishing the historical context of the Democratic Party and its evolving stances on social and economic issues. It then delves into a detailed examination of Omar's progressive views, including her advocacy for civil rights, universal healthcare, and opposition to Trump's immigration policies, contrasting them with Peterson's more conservative positions on issues such as abortion, gun rights, and environmental regulations. The essay also explores the contrasting support bases of the two representatives, with Omar gaining favor from urban and young populations and Peterson maintaining support in a more rural and conservative district. The analysis considers their effectiveness in Congress, referencing their voting records, legislative initiatives, and public criticisms. The essay concludes by suggesting that while Omar's views may be more aligned with present-day social values, Peterson's long tenure and influence cannot be ignored, offering a nuanced view of their impact on US politics. This assignment is a valuable resource for students seeking to understand the complex dynamics within the Democratic Party and the diverse perspectives of its representatives.

Running head: OMAR Vs. PETERSON
OMAR Vs. PETERSON
Student’s name
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Author’s note

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OMAR Vs. PETERSON
The Democratic Party of the USA is the oldest political party of the nation. It has a long-
standing history of advocating for social-liberal politics. Although the party maintains a
conservative pro-corporate outlook and maintains a Southern-centric populist wing, it arguably
revamped itself following the New Deal Coalition of 1932. Subsequently, the Party is invested in
promoting civil rights of the people of the country. Apparently, the Democratic Party advocates
for a philosophy of modern liberalism, making them the most prominent liberal political cluster
in the USA. Due to this inclination towards a liberal and progressive approach, majority of the
urban people and the minority strata of the of the country, including women, Asian-Americans,
Jewish, Latino, Asian-Americans, sexual and gender minorities, as well as the young population
of America tend to favour the Democratic Party (democrats.org).
Although the Democrats maintain a homogenous progressive outlook, not all electoral
candidates hold the same popularity or maintain a similar approach while carrying out their
duties in their respective roles. This tendency emphasizes the fact that in spite of adhering to the
same political discipline, the political figures are often influenced by their own agenda and
worldviews. And therefore, their popularity and acceptance vary accordingly. For Example,
Colin Peterson and Ilhan Omar of the Democratic Party both represent Minnesota Legislative
District as Democrat candidates. However, they do not share the same approach in their political
advocacy. Omar is said to be more liberal and progressive, whereas Peterson arguably maintains
a more conservative approach towards pertinent social and political issues.
Colin Peterson is representing the 7th congressional district of Minnesota since 199, and is
one of the senior most US representatives. He was one of the founder of the Blue Dog Coalition,
the members of which identify themselves as right-centrist, fiscally conservative Democrats.
This political caucus of the Blue Dogs professes independence from the leadership of both the

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major political parties and entrust themselves with a responsibility of promoting fiscal
accountability and national defense (Minnesota Radio.org). On the other hand, as a hardcore
conservative, Peterson openly opposes abortion embryonic stem cell research and physician
assisted euthanasia, even ‘Obamacare’ and Hate Crime Prevention Act, while approving the
proposed Flag Desecration Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Defense of
Marriage Act.. He also is an avid supporter of the gun rights and capital punishment. Although
he maintains himself to be a conservationist, he does not approve of strict environmental
regulations, stating ‘too much restriction may harm the farmers’ (Minnesota Radio.org). Most
importantly, Peterson has voted against the impeachment of President Donald Trump, while the
Democrat agenda was clearly to support the impeachment (Condon 2019). For this staunch
conservatism, Peterson is hugely criticized by the urban, progressive and the millennial crowd.
He only gains support as he belongs to mostly rural conservative district, where there are many
older citizen who go by the values of a bygone era.
In contrast to Peterson, Ilhan Omar of the 5th congressional district of Minnesota, is
relatively a younger and progressive politician. She has set quite a few milestones in her political
career by becoming the first non-white, Somali-American woman elected from Minnesota. She is
also the second Muslim woman to serve in Congress. Unlike Peterson, Omar pledges her
affiliation to the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which actively advocates for civil and
fundamental rights such as universal healthcare, affordable housing, living wage, student debt
exemption, LGBTQ rights and abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She
also strongly opposes Trump government’s immigration policies, including the travel ban. She
has continuously criticized the U.S. foreign policy and has been vocal against the funding of
perpetual war and military hostility. She advocates for investing the funding in healthcare and

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education instead (Golden 2018). However, Omar has been subject to criticism for her
reproachful remark on Israel, stating an apparent tendency of anti-Semitism and racism.
The comparison of the two representatives might place them on two extreme opposite
stands. With the changing social values and political concerns, Omar seems to be more
acceptable and relevant in the present context. However, the effectiveness of Peterson as a
Congressman cannot be denied either. He has been steadily elected a representative since 1991,
making it a straight 15th time. Most importantly, Peterson has retained his victory in a district
where Trump has won by over 30 points. He has immense influence over AG policy, including
the omnibus farm bill, therefore securing his position among the population of the 7th district,
which is mostly rural and comprised of farmers (Kaul 2018). Nevertheless, Omar is also a
promising Congresswoman, despite the malicious controversies around her. Her social and
political activism has gained significant support from the youth and the urban population, as is
evident from her collection in the first fundraising quarter in 2019. Also, President Trump’s
constant criticism of Omar has gained her sufficient limelight, allowing her to secure people’s
attention to her causes (Hagen 2019). However, only elected in 2019, Omar is yet to prove her
own mettle, as well as her effectiveness in the Congress.

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References
"7Th District So Big, Candidates Use Planes Like Cars". 2015.
News.Minnesota.Publicradio.Org.
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/campaign2002/ap_7dist.shtml.
Condon, Patrick. 2019. "Collin Peterson Goes His Own Way On Impeachment; Will It Matter?".
Stratribune.Com.
http://www.startribune.com/collin-peterson-goes-his-own-whttp://www.startribune.com/collin-
peterson-goes-his-own-whttp://www.startribune.com/collin-peterson-goes-his-own-way-on-
impeachment-will-it-matter/566407872/ay-on-impeachment-will-it-matter/566407872/ay-on-
impeachment-will-it-matter/566407872/.
democrats.org. 2020. "We Are The Democratic Party - Democrats". Democrats.
https://democrats.org/.
Golden, Erin. 2018. "Ilhan Omar Makes History, Becoming First Somali-American Elected To
U.S. House". Star Tribune.
https://web.archive.org/web/20190202211254/http://www.startribune.com/ilhan-omar-becomes-
first-somali-american-elected-u-s-house/499708271/.
Hagen, Lisa. 2019. "Ilhan Omar Rakes In Cash Despite Criticism". Usnews.Com.
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2019-04-16/freshman-rep-ilhan-omar-rakes-in-
cash-despite-criticism.

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Kaul, Greta. 2018. "How Democrat Collin Peterson Hangs On In One Of Minnesota’S Most
Conservative Districts | Minnpost". Minnpost. https://www.minnpost.com/national/2018/11/how-
democrat-collin-peterson-hangs-on-in-one-of-minnesotas-most-conservative-districts/.
Minnesota Radio. 2004. "MPR: Campaign 2004: Collin Peterson". Minnesota.Publicradio.Org.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/2004/campaign/congress/peterson/.