Ilhan Omar Faces an Uphill Battle to Retain Her Seat

Squad member, Ilhan Omar will be facing an uphill challenge o retain her House seat in 2024. She will once again be facing off against primary challenger, former Democratic Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels. Omar defeated Samuels by 2 points in 2022, but this time around, Omar will find little support among the Jews in her Minnesota district. Her extremist views is painting a very large target on her back. Samuels called Omar, a member of the ‘Squad,’ divisive.

Samuels told the AP:

“Our congresswoman has a predilection to divisiveness and conflict.”

“She has frightened the Jewish community. Pointing to a “latent and lurking antisemitic sentiment that always needs discouragement, and always in times of national crisis raises its ugly head.”

“The long tails of the George Floyd and COVID issues continue, with empty storefronts and empty strip malls because people don’t want to invest anymore. They don’t think it’s safe.” 

Crime will be a big issue in 2024. Samuels opposed defunding the police while Omar led the way in taking money away from the police as crime skyrocketed in her district.

Omar told the Daily Caller News Foundation:

“I’m incredibly proud of the model of cogovernance we’ve built in the 5th District, which has included monthly town halls, routine constituent service resource fairs and a brand new district office. I’ve brought over $40 million to the district in the form of community projects—including a brand new affordable housing facility for veterans in Robbinsdale that I toured this weekend.”

“As a leader of the House Budget Committee and Progressive Caucus, I’ve continued to fight for the progressive values Minnesotans sent me to advocate for—whether it’s fighting to codify Roe v. Wade into law, pushing for historic climate legislation, addressing the opioid crisis or fighting for an assault weapons ban.”

From The Guardian

Ilhan Omar got a prominent Democratic primary challenger on Sunday when former the Minneapolis city council member Don Samuels announced he would try once again to unseat the representative after coming close in 2022.

Omar, a charter member of “the Squad” of progressive House Democrats, won re-election twice despite making comments in her first term that were widely criticized for invoking antisemitic tropes and suggesting Jewish Americans have divided loyalties. But Omar – a Somali American and Muslim – has come under renewed fire for condemning the Israeli government’s war in Gaza.

“Our congresswoman has a predilection to divisiveness and conflict,” Samuels said in an interview with the Associated Press ahead of his official announcement on Sunday morning on WCCO Radio.

Other declared candidates include Democrats Sarah Gad, an attorney, Tim Peterson, a military veteran, and one Republican, Dalia Al-Aqidi, an Iraqi-American journalist, according to the AP.

Samuels did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.