Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is photographed Dec. 8, 2021, outside her Capitol Hill office in Washington, D.C. (Cheryl Diaz Meyer, Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Former NBA player Royce White announced his candidacy Feb. 22 for the Fifth Congressional District on outside the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. (Alex Kormann, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Royce White's entry into the GOP field looking to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar in an overwhelmingly blue congressional district has put a spotlight on a race Republicans haven't won in over six decades.

But before the former basketball player announced his intentions last week, two Republicans had publicized campaigns of their own for Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District covering Minneapolis and nearby suburbs.

Cicely Davis, seen here at the 2020 MNGOP election night party, is described by her campaign as a former health care administrator. (Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Cicely Davis, who is described by her campaign as a former health care administrator, kicked off a GOP bid for the seat last July. With an otherwise empty Republican field for months, Davis was able to close the year with over $100,000 in cash on hand.

"My campaign is best positioned to defeat Ilhan Omar, take back the People's House, and bring back safety, prosperity, strength, and responsible leadership to America," Davis said in an e-mailed statement.

Shukri Abdirahman, shown after receiving a vehicle from Code of Vets in 2019, is “a Somali Refugee, a single mother of three, a survivor, and served for 10 years as a U.S. Army combat veteran.” (Renee Jones Schneider, Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Shukri Abdirahman has also announced a GOP run for the seat. Campaign spokesman Dustin Grage said in an e-mail that "Shu is a Somali Refugee, a single mother of three, a survivor, and served for 10 years as a U.S. Army combat veteran."

"She is a survivor of domestic abuse raising three children on her own while pursuing the American Dream," Grage said. "She is building coalitions with communities that past Republicans have ignored."

While Omar is often a focus of GOP criticism, defeating her in a general election is an unlikely prospect. After turning back a primary challenge in 2020, Omar won that fall's general election by more than 38 percentage points.