Rep. Ilhan Omar is tipped to win the Minnesota Democratic primary in the latest test for members of “The Team.”

Representative. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota won his Democratic primary, handily defeating challenger Don Samuels, The Associated Press estimated Tuesday night. She is the latest member of “The Team” to face a primary after the high-profile defeats of Reps. Jamaal Bowman from New York and Cory Bush from Missouri.

For the second time in two years, Omar faced a challenge from Samuels, a former member of the Minneapolis City Council. Omar narrowly beat Samuels in 2022 by a slim margin of about 2,500 votes. However, this time the results were not nearly as close. With more than 99 percent of precincts reporting, Ilhan was leading Samuels by a 56 percent to 42 percent margin.

“I feel really, really excited,” Samuels told CBS News before the race. “The last time was difficult. People were asking, “Why are you doing this? You can’t win.” So there was a lot of pushing and betting and a bit of reluctance and it took some persuasion this time, people understand that if they had invested we could have won.”

Omar left nothing to chance. The incumbent has crisscrossed the 5th Congressional District knocking on doors, making calls and bringing out progressive heavyweights like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who campaigned with her at a rally in Minneapolis last week.

“We feel good about our chances of winning on Tuesday,” Omar said in an earlier statement to CBS News. “In Minnesota, we believe in the power of organizing for our progressive values. That’s why I’m fighting for the values ​​of District 5, values ​​like protecting reproductive rights, implementing Medicare for All, a fair foreign policy, addressing the climate crisis, and ending childhood hunger, I look forward to continuing to support our district’s progressive priorities and provide for our community”.

Archer and Bush’s races ended up being the two most expensive House primaries in 2024, and Bowman’s was the most expensive primary in history. Omar’s race didn’t bring in nearly as much money, and she significantly outperformed Samuels. Omar outspent and outspent Samuels, pulling in more than $6.4 million with $1.8 million in cash, according to preliminary campaign filings. Samuels has raised more than $1.2 million.

In recent weeks, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, and its affiliate United Democracy Front have poured millions into contests to unseat Bowman and Bush. The group, along with other pro-Israel lobbying organizations, spent more than $30 million in the House primaries, according to Ad Impact. However, they haven’t invested much in the Minnesota race.

“It’s a bit of a mystery and I could speculate,” Samuels said. “My opponent has probably the highest profile of the entire team, so she appears to be ineffectual and unbeatable, and that kind of has been sold as truth to the funding community and the national community, but the voters here in this district know who. Don Samuels is.”

But like Bowman and Bush, Omar was critical of Israel and called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Samuels described Omar as “divisive,” pointing at her past statements and her stance on the war in Gaza.

“I think we should condemn when atrocities happen,” Omar told CBS Minnesota in June. “I think it’s important that we try to make sure that all of our communities here in the United States feel protected and safe to be able to express themselves, regardless of their views on what’s going on in Gaza.”

Some Republicans are also weighing in on the Democratic race and encouraging district voters to oust Omar by supporting Samuels. Royce White, a GOP Senate candidate running in the primary to take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, posted on X: “I will gladly give up 5,000 votes in the CD5 primary to accomplish this goal.”

Samuels, a 75-year-old Jamaican immigrant who began his political career in his 50s, believes his community work as a former school board member and city councilman on issues such as gun violence and public safety will resonate among voters.

“That’s my approach, be visible, be accessible, be accountable,” Samuels said.