Omar is facing off against challenger Don Samuels in a closely watched rematch of their race last election cycle.
By Jack Elbaum, The Algemeiner
US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), one of the fiercest critics of Israel in Congress, is running to defend her seat in a Democratic Party primary on Tuesday after two high-profile primary losses of fellow progressive House members with similar views on the Jewish state.
Omar, a member of the so-called “Squad” of anti-Israel, far-left lawmakers in the US House of Representatives — is facing off against challenger Don Samuels in a closely watched rematch of their race last election cycle.
In 2022, Omar narrowly beat Samuels in the Democratic primary by less than 2,500 votes in a relatively low-turnout election.
Samuels has labeled Omar as divisive and focused his campaign on working with people who have different views and paying particular attention to domestic issues. “The only people who benefit from polarizing and dividing America are the politicians who get famous for doing so. While families are divided over politics and hope for the future declines, they get book deals and donations. It must end,” he wrote on Sunday on X/Twitter.
Samuels has also criticized Omar’s comments on the Israel-Hamas war, which began after the Hamas terrorist organization killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages during an onslaught across southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Despite the close call in 2022, experts believe Omar is likely to keep her seat. The Cook Political Report said Omar is “in a strong position to fend off another primary challenge.”
Meanwhile, University of Minnesota political science professor and researcher Larry Jacobs told local Minnesota outlet Fox 9 that he expects the incumbent to win by more than five points. The prediction is based on lopsided fundraising numbers — Omar has raised three times as much as Samuels — and a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the challenger’s supporters.
Recent polling from Lake Research Partners on behalf of Omar’s campaign and Victoria Research & Consulting on behalf of Samuels’ campaign found the incumbent had a 27 and 19 percentage point lead, respectively.
However, the race comes after two high-profile primary losses of fellow “Squad” members Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Cori Bush (D-MO).
In late June, Bowman lost by more than 17 points in the Democratic primary in a race in which he made opposition to Israel and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) central issues. AIPAC, a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group in the US, had raised a significant amount of money for Bowman’s opponent.
Then last week, Bush lost by about 5.5 points to a Democratic challenger as well. AIPAC was similarly involved in that race, spending $8 million to help oust Bush — who has been one of the more vocal anti-Israel voices in Congress, particularly since Oct. 7.
Bush was defiant in a speech after her loss: “As much as I love my job, all they did was radicalize me — and so now they need to be afraid.”
“Let me say this, AIPAC: I’m coming to tear your kingdom down,” Bush continued. “They about to see this other Cori.”
AIPAC has not been particularly involved in Omar’s race, nor have other outside organizations. However, according to The Intercept, wealthy pro-Israel donors have made a last-ditch effort to give money to Samuels in a bid to vote out Omar.
In response, Omar wrote on X/Twitter on Sunday: “It is shameful that my opponent is actively courting Republican votes and desperately seeking funding from AIPAC.”
“MN05 deserves someone who will champion their values, not seek support from vile MAGA Republicans like Laura Loomer and Royce White,” she concluded.
The Minnesota district leans heavily Democratic, so whoever wins the primary is likely also to win the general election to serve in Congress in November.