Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, one of the progressive House members known as the “Squad”, has won her primary race in Minnesota.
Ms Omar successfully defended her Minneapolis 5th District seat against a challenge from former city council member Don Samuels, a more centrist liberal whom she only narrowly defeated in the 2022 primary.
Speaking to supporters in Minneapolis, Ms Omar echoed some of the themes of the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz presidential campaign.
“We run the politics of joy,” she said. “Because we know it is joyful to fight for your neighbours. ... We know it is joyful to make sure housing is a human right. We know it is joyful to fight for health care to be a human right. We know it is joyful to want to live in a peaceful and equitable world.”
Ms Omar avoided the fate of two fellow “Squad” members. Cori Bush lost the Democratic nomination in her Missouri district last week, and Jamaal Bowman of New York lost his primary in June. Both faced well-funded challengers and millions of dollars in spending by the United Democracy Project, a super political action committee affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which appeared to sit out the Minnesota race.
The crowd at Ilhan Omar’s watch party erupts in cheers as the vote climbs to 56% for Omar, with 99% of precincts reporting in #MM05 pic.twitter.com/jQJIanQCY6
— Anna Colletto (@agcolletto) August 14, 2024
Mr Samuels had criticised Ms Omar’s condemnation of the Israeli government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. While Ms Omar has also criticised Hamas for attacking Israel and taking hostages, Mr Samuels said she’s one-sided and divisive. He also stressed public safety issues in Minneapolis, where a former police officer murdered George Floyd in 2020.
Mr Samuels said he was “very disappointed” with his loss.
“What I was hoping is that a strong ground game and an attention to the details of folks who felt left out would trump an overwhelming superiority in dollars,” he said in an interview. “Clearly money matters a little more in politics than I had hoped.”
Ms Omar reported raising about $6.2 million. Mr Samuels raised about $1.4 million.
Ms Omar will face Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi, an Iraqi American journalist and self-described secular Muslim who calls her pro-Hamas.
Meanwhile, conservative populist and former NBA player Royce White defeated Navy veteran Joe Fraser in Minnesota’s primary election for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic US Senator Amy Klobuchar in November.
And former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab, supported by former President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and the National Republican Congressional Committee, won a contested GOP primary for Minnesota’s 2nd District seat held by Democratic Rep. Angie Craig.
His opponent, defence attorney Tayler Rahm, won the endorsement at the district convention with support from grassroots conservatives.
In the US Senate race, Mr White - an ally of imprisoned former Trump aide Steve Bannon and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones - shocked many political observers when he defeated Mr Fraser at the party convention for the GOP endorsement.
