Mohamud Noor

Mohamud Noor (, ; born 1977 or 1978) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Noor represents District 60B, which includes parts of the city of Minneapolis in Hennepin County.

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Early life, education, and career

Noor was born in 1978 in Somalia. Following the start of the civil war, he and his family sought asylum in Kenya. In 1999, they emigrated to the United States, settling in Minnesota.

Noor earned a B.S. in computer science from Metropolitan State University. He was a system administrator for the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Noor was the former director of the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota, a Minneapolis-based NGO serving immigrants. In that role, he advocated for funding for Somali youth programs, job skills programs, childcare programs, and mental health services. He criticized Republicans and Donald Trump for rising anti-Islamic sentiment in 2016, and praised President Barack Obama for visiting a mosque and speaking out in support of Muslim Americans.

Prior local campaigns

Minneapolis public school board

In 2010, Noor ran for a seat on the board of the Minneapolis Public Schools, finishing in fifth place. In December 2013, he was appointed to the Minneapolis school board, beating Ubah Jama by a 5-3 vote after the death of Hussein Samatar. He resigned from the school board to run for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2014.

Minnesota Senate

In 2011, Noor lost to Kari Dzeidzic in a special election DFL primary for an open Minnesota Senate seat created by the retirement of nine-term incumbent Larry Pogemiller.

Minneapolis City Council Ward 6

In 2017, Noor challenged incumbent Abdi Warsame for City Council in Minneapolis Ward 6. He said he was "extremely disappointed" with Warsame's work on the council and that he would focus on jobs, housing, and police reform, and engage with constituents more than Warsame. At the DFL Ward 6 caucus, Warsame won the most delegates, and Noor joined another challenger, Flynn Forslund, in asking that the caucus results be thrown out. Noor pulled out of the endorsement convention, citing "a potential safety risk for participants".

In September, Noor and Mayor Betsy Hodges endorsed each other. He was also endorsed by state legislators Ilhan Omar, Karen Clark, Raymond Dehn, Jim Davnie, Scott Dibble and Patricia Torres Ray.

Noor lost to Wasame in November, and accused Warsame's campaign of violating election day and campaign laws. He said he would "fight to make sure every vote is counted, and the numerous irregularities that were reported are fully investigated". Noor requested a "discretionary" recount paid for by his own funds. After a recount left the result unchanged, an attorney for Noor withdrew the challenge, but Noor filed a personal lawsuit asking a judge to invalidate the election. He claimed to have evidence that "at least 100 people appear to have voted in our election who do not live in Ward 6". A Hennepin County judge dismissed the lawsuit in December 2017.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Noor was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018 and has been reelected every two years since. He first ran in 2014, unsuccessfully challenging 21-term incumbent Phyllis Kahn in the DFL primary. In 2016, Noor again challenged Kahn, as did Ilhan Omar. The DFL convention ended with no endorsement, but Omar defeated both Khan and Noor in the DFL primary and won the general election. In 2018 Noor ran for the seat again, after Omar announced she would not seek reelection in order to run for Minnesota's 5th congressional district. Noor won both the DFL primary and the general election. He has been reelected in every election since.

Noor has served as chair of the Human Services Finance Committee since 2023 and also sits on the Higher Education Finance and Policy, Human Services Policy, and Ways and Means Committees. He chaired the Workforce and Business Development Finance and Policy Committee from 2021 to 2022, and was vice chair of the Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee from 2019 to 2020.

Political positions

Noor has called for the legislature to address racial disparities in health care, education, unemployment, and housing. He supported efforts to pass the Driver's Licenses for All bill, which allows unauthorized immigrants in the state to obtain a driver's license, calling it a "moral obligation".

Noor criticized President Donald Trump for his anti-Somali rhetoric and posts on social media ahead of a 2018 visit. He has defended his predecessor, Ilhan Omar, over attacks from Trump and conservatives, comparing them to claims that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

Noor's policy priorities were job creation via investments in the green economy, health care issues, and forging partnerships with the University of Minnesota. He also sought to secure more funding for schools, advocated a move away from complete reliance on property taxes, and backed the state government's request for a waiver to get out of No Child Left Behind. He supported interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery for Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War, as well as the Affordable Care Act. Noor's campaign also supported same-sex marriage. He was endorsed by former Minneapolis mayor R. T. Rybak and several local progressive groups, including the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, Stonewall DFL, and the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers.

Electoral history

Personal life

Noor is Muslim. He is married to Farhiya Del, with whom he has four children. The family lives in Minneapolis's Como neighborhood.

References

External links

Official House of Representatives website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noor, Mohamud
Living people
American politicians of Somali descent
Muslims from Minnesota
Ethnic Somali people
Metropolitan State University alumni
Somalian emigrants to the United States
Politicians from Minneapolis
Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives
African-American Muslims
Somalian Muslims
21st-century African-American politicians
1977 births
Somalian refugees
21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature