Far-left progressive 'Squad' member Ilhan Omar survives Minnesota Democratic primary challenge

On Tuesday night, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) survived Minnesota’s Democratic primary. The Associated Press called the race just after 10:30 pm, and with 99 percent of the votes in as of Wednesday morning, Omar beat out her challenger 56.2 to 42.9 percent.

Omar was challenged in Minneapolis’ 5th District by former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, a more centrist liberal whom she barely beat in the 2022 primary. Omar spent over $6.2 million on her primary race, nearly $5 million more than Samuels. In 2022, her re-election cost $2.3 million before the primary.

Samuels and constituents in the district have criticized Omar for her support of the defund the police movement, following a public safety crisis in Minneapolis in the aftermath of the 2020 George Floyd riots.

Omar has also been slammed by Samuels and others for using antisemitic tropes and demonizing the Jewish state of Israel.

Following the victory, Omar falsely claimed that Jamaican-born Samuels "aligned with literal Nazis" in order to try and oust her.

Omar's fellow ‘Squad’ members Cori Bush and Jamal Bowman were booted by constituents. Bush lost the Democratic nomination in Missouri in August and Bowman lost his primary in June. Both blamed their losses on spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, but the PAC sat out Omar’s race.

Polls closed at 8 pm in Minnesota, but results from the Omar-Samuels race were delayed in Hennepin County, which includes all of Minneapolis and most of the communities that lie in the Fifth Congressional District, due to a legislative change enacted this year that allows for ballots to be dropped off until 8 pm and results in slower results reporting.

Omar will now face Iraqi American journalist, Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi, in November.