Ilhan Omar prevails in primary rematch with Don Samuels
The progressive incumbent won by a 13-point margin in the Minnesota Democratic primary
Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) claimed victory on Tuesday in a primary rematch with Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis councilman who had almost unseated her in 2022.
Omar, an outspoken Israel critic, prevailed by a much wider margin than last cycle, when Samuels came within two points of pulling off a surprise upset. This time, she won by a 13-point margin, 56-43%, all but inevitably securing a fourth term in Congress.
Her victory follows two recent primaries in which fellow Squad members — Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Cori Bush (D-MO) — were defeated by challengers backed by pro-Israel groups including AIPAC and Democratic Majority for Israel.
But Omar’s race drew no such outside engagement as pro-Israel groups determined the race wasn’t winnable and chose to keep their distance, even as Samuels, a pro-Israel Democrat, had insisted they were missing out on a key opportunity.
The progressive incumbent was better prepared to defend her seat this cycle, after Samuels’ campaign caught her by surprise in 2022. She far outraised him and spent heavily on advertising, in contrast with the previous cycle, when she did not seriously invest in her campaign.
Omar also fended off two lesser-known challengers in the Minneapolis primary on Tuesday.
Despite a double-digit win over Samuels, Omar’s vote share was hardly a commanding total for an incumbent lawmaker, suggesting that she could be vulnerable to future challenges.