Ilhan Omar, the controversial Democratic incumbent representing Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, is facing a challenging re-election this year. In the upcoming primary, she will be up against three formidable opponents, making her campaign an uphill battle.
Omar, who presents herself as a progressive candidate capable of collaborating with President Joe Biden, is currently in a tight race with her Democratic primary opponent, as indicated by the latest poll. Don Samuels, a former member of the Minneapolis City Council, is once again challenging Omar in the August 13 primary after trailing behind her by a narrow margin of 2.1 percent in the 2022 primary. This rematch is expected to be a closely contested race.
Interestingly, this primary race coincides with Omar and other members of the “squad” facing criticism for urging voters to boycott Biden in the Democratic primary due to his support for Israel during its conflict with Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
According to a Victoria Research poll released by Samuels’ campaign, 41 percent of Democratic voters in Minnesota’s 5th congressional district favor Omar, while the remaining 18 percent are either undecided or plan to vote for a candidate other than Omar or Samuels in the primary. In the 2022 Democratic House primary, Samuels narrowly lost to Omar by a margin of 2,466 votes, or slightly over 2 percent.
Omar has made history as the first woman to wear a headscarf on the House floor and the first Somali-American elected to Congress. She is also a member of the progressive group of lawmakers, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who were elected to Congress in the 2018 midterm elections.
Representatives Omar and Tlaib, who participated in their respective Democratic presidential primaries last month, encouraged progressive voters in their states to cast “uncommitted” ballots. This act was intended as a protest against President Biden’s backing of Israel in its conflict with Hamas, a Palestinian enclave where terrorists operate from. Omar, known for her strong support of Palestine and her call for voters to express their dissatisfaction with Joe Biden’s pro-Israel stance by casting “uncommitted” ballots in the 2024 presidential primary, has faced criticism. Lately, she has faced backlash for her remarks concerning Israel.
“A House Republican said on Tuesday that he was drafting a resolution to formally rebuke Representative Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, for recent comments in which she suggested that some Jewish students at Columbia University were ‘pro-genocide,’” the New York Times reported.
“Representative Don Bacon, a Republican of Nebraska, does not yet have a timeline for releasing his censure resolution against Ms. Omar, a spokeswoman said. Bacon said the remark amounted to antisemitism from the congresswoman, a progressive firebrand and one of two Muslim women in the House, who has drawn criticism in the past for incendiary comments,” the outlet added.
“Folks can protest Israel, but don’t blame Jewish American students for Israel,” Mr. Bacon told Axios, which earlier reported his censure plans. “That is by definition antisemitism.”