Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, a prominent member of the progressive “Squad” and a vocal critic of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, is working to avoid the fate of two of her closest allies as Minnesota holds its primary elections on Tuesday.
Omar is defending her seat in the 5th District, which covers Minneapolis, against a repeat challenge from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, a more centrist liberal whom she narrowly defeated in the 2022 primary.
Reliable sources confirm that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attempted to unseat her by spending over $500,000 through Nasri Warsame to rally sections of the Somali community against her and support Samuels. However, these efforts were unsuccessful.
Additionally, Somaliland a breakaway region in northern Somalia, seeks to unseat Omar due to her support for the U.S.’s “One Somalia Policy,” which advocates for a united Somalia.
Meanwhile, a super political action committee affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee appears to be sitting out the Minnesota race.
Despite this, Omar is not taking victory for granted. She reported spending $2.3 million before the 2022 primary and, in the same period this year, has reported raising about $6.2 million. Samuels, by comparison, has raised about $1.4 million.
Ilhan Omar is a Somali American and Muslim, faced criticism during her first term from Samuels and others for her condemnation of the Israeli government’s handling of the Israel-Palestine war.
𝕯𝖗. 𝐗𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐆 ###