Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) won the primary for the Democratic nomination for her seat representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, almost certainly giving her two more years in the House, Decision Desk headquarters projects.
Omar fended off a challenge from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, who nearly upset her two years ago in the primary. In 2022, she won by less than 2,500 votes in a race where more than 110,000 total votes were cast.
The proximity of his last primary has raised questions about his ability to maintain this cycle. The Minnesota primary also came just a week after another member of the “squad,” Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), lost her primary, joining Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) to become the latest progressive to fall to a more moderate position. challenging.
But Omar finally managed to hold on. She outperformed and significantly outspent Samuels, raising almost $6.8 million to Samuels’ $1.4 million.
She also bested Samuels two years ago, but didn’t make it through the primary as much as she did this time. Crucially, the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) did not spend money on its primaries this cycle as it did on Bowman and Bush.
Omar has faced criticism over his criticism of Israel amid the war against Hamas and was one of the first to advocate a ceasefire. Samuels sought to position himself as a more moderate Democrat who would be more interested in unifying than Omar, whom he criticized as divisive.
Omar also had support from members across the Democratic Party spectrum, including establishment leaders like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) and progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
And Omar focused her campaign primarily on several progressive issues and didn’t focus as much on Israel.
Omar will be the favorite for re-election in November in her solidly blue district.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
