这位从业30年的州警赢得共和党初选，计划将与纳税人资金相关的欺诈丑闻作为竞选核心议题
2026年8月18日 美国东部时间早上6:00 / 福克斯新闻
作者：安德鲁·马克·米勒
共和党挑战者将欺诈问题作为伊尔汉·奥马尔众议院竞选的核心议题
约翰·内格尔将在明尼苏达州第5国会选区挑战众议员伊尔汉·奥马尔，他在接受福克斯新闻数字频道采访时表示，该选区是该州欺诈问题的“中心”，并解释了为何他认为选民已经准备好做出改变。
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明尼阿波利斯讯——明尼苏达州民主党众议员伊尔汉·奥马尔终于迎来了一名共和党挑战者，该挑战者指出，明尼苏达州选民“受够了”欺诈和治理失能，准备好做出改变，而他正试图在这个全美最受关注的进步派票仓之一击败奥马尔。
约翰·内格尔是土生土长的明尼苏达人，曾担任30年州警。他在接受福克斯新闻数字频道采访时表示，他的背景让他有独特机会在这个深蓝的明尼苏达州第5国会选区挑战奥马尔。
“我认为明尼苏达州民众被欺骗了。他们的钱被偷走了。他们希望看到有人能站出来整顿局面，”内格尔说，“他们厌倦了听那些陈词滥调。”
内格尔认为，他扎根本州以及数十年的执法经历，让他与政治精英划清界限。
伊尔汉·奥马尔有望连任第五届任期，明尼苏达选民延续极左倾向
福克斯新闻数字频道采访了退休明尼苏达州州警约翰·内格尔，了解他挑战明尼苏达州民主党众议员伊尔汉·奥马尔、角逐第5国会选区席位的竞选计划。（福克斯新闻数字频道；亚历克斯·王/盖蒂图片社）
“我来自明尼苏达州，土生土长。我不是华盛顿的‘外来户’，”内格尔说，他还提到自己30年的州警生涯，以及在该地区各学校教授防御性驾驶和开展工作的经历。
上周赢得明尼苏达州第5选区共和党初选的内格尔表示，他的竞选将重点关注近年来撼动明尼苏达州的欺诈丑闻，以此与奥马尔和该州民主党人形成鲜明对比。
“我是爱国的。我来自明尼苏达州，我爱明尼苏达州，也爱我的国家，”被问及他计划如何与奥马尔形成对比时，内格尔说道。
“我没有卷入欺诈，”他补充道，随后指出奥马尔所在的选区是该州欺诈问题的中心，而福克斯新闻数字频道曾广泛报道奥马尔与欺诈丑闻涉案人员的关联。
奥马尔前竞选助手古哈德·哈希·赛义德对共谋实施电信诈骗和洗钱的指控表示认罪。检方称，他设立的一个虚假食品站点声称供应超过100万份餐食，实际仅提供了其中一小部分，却获得了近300万美元的退款。
瓦尔兹后院发生百万美元SNAP食品券欺诈案引发公愤：“残忍的笑话”
明尼苏达州民主党众议员伊尔汉·奥马尔于2026年1月16日在明尼苏达州圣保罗市明尼苏达州参议院大楼参加一场现场听证会。这场主题为“被绑架与失踪：特朗普对明尼苏达州的致命攻击”的听证会邀请了当地民众和政客讨论移民行动“地铁突袭”。（吉姆·冯德鲁斯卡/盖蒂图片社）
奥马尔还在疫情期间将萨法里餐厅列为配餐点，并在2020年的一段索马里语视频中称赞这家明尼阿波利斯餐馆。萨法里餐厅的联合所有者萨利姆·赛义德后来在“喂养我们的未来”专案中被判有罪，检方指控该站点骗取了超过1600万美元的欺诈性儿童营养资金。萨法里餐厅还曾是奥马尔2018年选举之夜竞选观察派对的举办地。
奥马尔还在2020年提出了《MEALS法案》，旨在为疫情期间的联邦学校餐食计划扩大豁免范围。该法案的类似条款最终作为两党新冠救济法案的一部分获得通过，奥马尔随后还敦促特朗普政府延长疫情期间的餐食豁免政策。明尼苏达州共和党议员认为，这些修改取消了保障措施，为“喂养我们的未来”的欺诈者创造了可乘之机。
奥马尔驳斥了这一说法，今年早些时候告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，任何暗示她知晓该欺诈计划的说法“完全是虚假的”。
奥马尔在镜头前就针对外籍出生议员的共和党提案对峙：“祝她好运”
2025年12月18日，联邦特工在明尼苏达州布卢明顿的终极家庭保健服务机构执行搜查令，调查该机构可能存在的医疗补助欺诈行为。（克里斯托弗·朱恩/安多拉通讯社通过盖蒂图片社）
内格尔还指责明尼苏达州民主党人未能充分打击欺诈行为，并指出两党选民都在寻找愿意严厉打击纳税人资金滥用行为的领导人。
“我还没有遇到过任何一位民主党人站出来说，是的，我们真的想采取措施打击欺诈，”内格尔说，“情况恰恰相反。”
内格尔还暗示，他在传统上不支持共和党的选民中找到了机会，其中包括明尼苏达州的索马里裔社区成员，他们对奥马尔越来越不满。
他特别提到了选区内的索马里兰裔选民，称一些曾支持奥马尔的选民“纷纷浮出水面”，转而反对这位国会女议员，并表示他愿意与认同他对该州愿景的社区成员合作。
“我在这里是为了服务明尼苏达州的每一个人，”内格尔解释道，“我不在乎你的信仰是什么，不在乎你的肤色是什么。当你进入国会，你就应该为明尼苏达州的每一个人负责，而她并没有做到这一点。”
内格尔将自己描述为“一个只想让情况变得更好的普通人”，没有“巨额资金支持”。他将面临一场艰难的竞选：该选区包括整个明尼阿波利斯市，从市中心、大学区到北明尼阿波利斯、东北明尼阿波利斯和西南明尼阿波利斯，还包括里士满、圣路易斯公园、戈尔登谷、罗宾斯代尔、水晶、新霍普、布鲁克林中心、哥伦比亚高地和弗里德利等内环线郊区。
《库克政治报告》将这场竞选评为“铁定民主党”。
来自圣路易斯公园的内格尔告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，他多年的执法生涯从未涉及党派立场，他打算与所有选民交流，无论其党派归属。
“当我到达事故现场时，我不会先问他们是民主党人还是共和党人，再为他们提供急救，”内格尔说，“我不在乎你是谁，也不在乎你过去投了谁的票。”
“如果你希望降低税收，希望支持警察，希望学校变得更好，希望过上正常的生活，工资能到手，每天早上上班都不用太担心，这些就是我想与之交谈的人，”他继续说道。
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2026年6月6日，华盛顿特区日落时分的美国国会大厦。（凯文·卡特/盖蒂图片社）
内格尔表示，对明尼苏达州经济和学校的担忧也是他竞选的动力，他认为该州正在流失工作岗位，并有风险变得对家庭和企业缺乏吸引力。
“我们正在流失工作岗位，”内格尔说，“我们的学校系统糟糕透顶，以至于没人愿意把孩子送到这里来，哪怕我们这里确实有产业。”
“人们已经受够了。他们想要正常的生活，这也是我想要的，”他补充道。
内格尔表示，他的动机源于个人因素，他提到自己的家庭和刚出生的孙女是他决定投身政坛的原因。
“我这么做是因为我有家庭，”他说，“我有一个刚出生的孙女。我不能任由我们目前在明尼苏达州看到的这一团糟的局面继续下去。”
福克斯新闻数字频道已联系奥马尔的竞选团队置评。
安德鲁·马克·米勒是福克斯新闻的记者。关注他的推特账号@andymarkmiller，或发送爆料邮件至AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com。
Omar’s GOP challenger comes out firing with vow to clean up ‘mess’ in deep blue district: ‘People are fed up’
The 30-year state trooper won the Republican primary and plans to focus on fraud scandals tied to taxpayer dollars
August 18, 2026 6:00am EDT / Fox News
By Andrew Mark Miller
Rep. Omar’s GOP challenger makes fraud central to Minnesota House bid
John Nagel, who is running against Rep. Ilhan Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, spoke to Fox News Digital about the district being the “epicenter” of the state’s fraud problem and why he says voters are ready for change.
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MINNEAPOLIS — Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., officially has a Republican challenger who is making the case that Minnesota voters are “fed up” with fraud and dysfunction and are ready for a change as he looks to unseat Omar in one of the country’s most closely watched progressive strongholds.
John Nagel, a Minnesota native who spent 30 years as a state trooper, told Fox News Digital in an interview that he believes his background gives him a unique opportunity to make the case against Omar in Minnesota’s deep-blue 5th Congressional District.
“I think the people of Minnesota have been lied to. They’ve had their money stolen. They want to see somebody that’s going to come in and fix things,” Nagel said. “They’re tired of being told the same old things.”
Nagel argued that his roots in the state and decades in law enforcement separate him from the political class.
ILHAN OMAR ON TRACK FOR FIFTH TERM AS MINNESOTA VOTERS MAINTAIN FAR-LEFT STREAK
Fox News Digital spoke to retired Minnesota State Trooper John Nagel about his bid to unseat Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.(Fox News Digital ; Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“I’m from Minnesota, born and raised here. I’m not a Washington plant,” Nagel said, pointing to his three decades as a state trooper and his work teaching defensive driving and working in schools across the area.
Nagel, who won the Republican primary in Minnesota’s 5th District last week, said his campaign will focus heavily on the fraud scandals that have rocked Minnesota in recent years, drawing a sharp contrast with Omar and Democrats in the state.
“I’m pro-American. I’m from Minnesota. I love Minnesota and I love my country,” Nagel said when asked about the contrast he plans to draw with Omar.
“I’m not involved in fraud,” he added, before arguing that Omar’s district has been at the center of the state’s fraud problems and Fox News Digital has extensively reported on Omar’s ties to those implicated in the scandal.
Omar’s former campaign staffer Guhaad Hashi Said pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering after prosecutors said a fraudulent food site he established received nearly $3 million in reimbursements while serving only a fraction of the more than 1 million meals it claimed.
MILLION-DOLLAR SNAP FOOD STAMP FRAUD SCHEME IN WALZ’S BACKYARD SPARKS OUTRAGE: ‘CRUEL JOKE’
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., attends a field hearing at the Minnesota Senate Building on Jan. 16, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. The hearing, titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Deadly Assault on Minnesota,” featured local citizens and politicians discussing Immigration Operation “Metro Surge.”(Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
Omar also promoted Safari Restaurant as a meal distribution site during the pandemic, praising the Minneapolis establishment in a 2020 Somali-language video. Safari co-owner Salim Said was later convicted in the Feeding Our Future scheme, with prosecutors alleging the site received more than $16 million in fraudulent child nutrition funds. Safari had also hosted Omar’s 2018 election-night watch party.
Omar additionally introduced the MEALS Act in 2020, which sought to expand waivers for federal school meal programs during the pandemic. Provisions similar to the legislation were ultimately enacted as part of broader bipartisan COVID relief, and Omar later pushed the Trump administration to extend pandemic-era meal waivers. Republican Minnesota lawmakers have argued those changes removed safeguards and helped create conditions exploited by Feeding Our Future fraudsters.
Omar has rejected that characterization, telling Fox News Digital earlier this year that any suggestion she knew about the fraud scheme is “flat-out false.”
OMAR CONFRONTED ON CAMERA OVER GOP PROPOSAL TARGETING FOREIGN-BORN LAWMAKERS: ‘GOOD LUCK TO HER’
Federal agents enter an office building as a search warrant is executed at Ultimate Home Health Services over potential Medicaid fraud, on December 18, 2025, in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States.(Christopher Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Nagel also accused Minnesota Democrats of failing to adequately combat fraud and argued voters in both parties are looking for leaders willing to crack down on abuse of taxpayer dollars.
“I have not met a Democrat yet that has come out and said, yeah, we really want to do something about fraud,” Nagel said. “It’s been just the opposite.”
Nagel also suggested he sees an opening with voters who may not traditionally support Republicans, including members of Minnesota’s Somali community who have grown dissatisfied with Omar.
He specifically pointed to Somalilanders in the district, claiming some former Omar voters are “coming out of the woodwork” and turning against the congresswoman and saying he is willing to work with members of the community who share his vision for the state.
“I’m here to serve everybody in Minnesota,” Nagel explained. “I don’t care what faith you are, I don’t care what color you are. When you go to Congress, you’re supposed to be taking care of everybody from Minnesota, and she doesn’t do that.”
Nagel, who described himself as a “just a normal guy that wants to make things better” without “big bucks backing me” will face an uphill battle in the district which includes all of Minneapolis, from downtown and the university area to North, Northeast and Southwest Minneapolis, but also inner-ring suburbs including Richfield, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Crystal, New Hope, Brooklyn Center, Columbia Heights and Fridley.
The Cook Political Report ranks the race as “Solid D.”
Nagel, who is from St. Louis Park, told Fox News Digital his years in law enforcement have never been about partisanship and that he intends to speak to all voters regardless of party affiliation.
“When I would get to a crash scene, I didn’t ask them if they were a Democrat or Republican before I gave them first aid,” Nagel said. “I don’t care who you are, I don’t care how you voted in the past.”
“If you want lower taxes, if you want to have pro-police, if you want your schools to be better, if you just want to [have] a normal life where your paycheck comes back to you and you can go to work every morning and not have much to worry about, those are the people that I want to talk to,” he continued.
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The U.S. Capitol Building is seen at sunset on June 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Nagel said concerns about Minnesota’s economy and schools are also driving his campaign, arguing that the state is losing jobs and risks making itself unattractive to families and businesses.
“We are losing jobs,” Nagel said. “Our school system is so bad that no one’s going to want to bring their kids here, even if we do have industry here.”
“People are just fed up. They want normalcy, which is what I want,” he added.
Nagel said his motivation is personal, pointing to his family and a new granddaughter as reasons he decided to enter politics.
“I’m doing this because I’ve got a family,” he said. “I’ve got a brand-new granddaughter. And I’m not going to leave what we currently have in Minnesota, which is a mess.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Omar’s campaign for comment.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.