The longstanding Minnesota House representative serving much of the University of Minnesota area has cleared the largest hurdle in her run for another two years in office.

Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, defeated her strongest challenger in years in a primary election held Aug. 12, which should position her to easily win this fall’s general election and continue her service to neighborhoods like Southeast Como, Marcy-Holmes and Cedar-Riverside. The Minnesota Daily Editorial Board endorsed Kahn in the primary, and we hope her strong support in the area carries through Election Day.

It’s important to note, however, that Kahn’s top challenger — Somali activist and Minneapolis School Board member Mohamud Noor — brought some important issues to the forefront of the primary race. Much of his campaign noted the district’s rapidly shifting demographics and claimed that Noor was best equipped to serve changing interests.

Still, we believe that Kahn has a strong grasp on these issues and is well-positioned as a veteran lawmaker to be a powerful advocate for 60B.

It will be important for Kahn to smooth out tensions that may linger after the contentious primary race, which was marked by allegations of voter fraud and threat, as well as a chaotic caucus that turned violent.

We hope these unfortunate events don’t dissuade anyone from becoming politically active. Kahn and district residents will need to work together to get past any lingering issues so that the University area can prosper.