Election 2024: U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar defeats Don Samuels in Minnesota Democratic primary

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the progressive House members known as “The Team” and a sharp critic of Israel’s handling of the Gaza war, has won primary race in Minnesota.

Omar successfully defended his Minneapolis-area 5th District seat against a repeated challenge from former Minneapolis City Councilman Don Samuels, a more centrist liberal whom he narrowly defeated in the 2022 primary.

Speaking to supporters in Minneapolis, Omar echoed some of the themes Harris-Walz Presidential Campaign.

“We run the politics of joy,” she said. “For we know that it is joy to fight for your neighbors. … We know he is happy to make sure that housing is a human right. We know it’s fun to fight to make health care a human right. We know it is joyful to want to live in a peaceful and just world.”

Omar avoided the fate of two teammates. Rep. Cori Bush lost the Democratic nomination in her Missouri district last week, and Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York lost the primary in June. Both faced well-funded opponents and millions of dollars in spending from the United Democracy Project, a super political action committee affiliated with the American Public Affairs Committee in Israel, which appeared to be out of the Minnesota race.

Samuels had criticized Omar’s condemnation of the Israeli government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. While Omar also criticized Hamas for attacking Israel and taking hostages, Samuels said it was one-sided and divisive. He also highlighted public safety issues in Minneapolis, where a former police officer killed George Floyd in 2020.

Samuels said he was “very disappointed” in his loss.

“What we were hoping for is that a strong ground game and attention to detail for people who felt left out would overcome an overwhelming dollar superiority,” he said in an interview. “It’s clear that money matters a little more in politics than we’d hoped.”

Omar reported raising about $6.2 million. Samuels raised about $1.4 million.

Omar will face Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi, an Iraqi-American journalist and self-described secular Muslim, who calls Omar pro-Hamas.

Meanwhile, conservative populist and former NBA player Royce White defeated Marine veteran Joe Fraser in the Minnesota primary for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in November.

And former U.S. Attorney Joe Teirab, backed by former President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and the National Republican Congressional Committee, won a contested GOP primary for Minnesota’s 2nd District seat, held by Democratic Rep. Angie Craig.

His opponent, defense attorney Tayler Rahm, won the endorsement at the district convention with the support of grassroots conservatives.

While Rahm announced in July that he was suspending his campaign and would instead serve as a senior adviser to Trump’s Minnesota campaign, he remained on the ballot.

Teirab will face Craig in what is expected to be Minnesota’s most competitive House race in November.

Craig issued a statement following Teirab’s win, calling him “a guy who recently moved into the district because he saw a political opportunity.”

“He’s a guy who spent months doing whatever it took to win the support of Republicans in Washington,” Craig said. “And he’s a guy who has made it his life’s mission to take reproductive freedoms away from families and give those decisions to politicians.”

In the US Senate race, White — an ally of the incarcerated former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones — shocked many political observers when he defeated Fraser at the party convention for the GOP endorsement.

White’s comments on social media have been denounced as misogynistic, homophobic, anti-Semitic and profane. His legal and financial issues include unpaid child support and questionable campaign expenses, including $1,200 spent at a strip club in Florida, after he lost his primary challenge to Omar in 2022. He claims that as a man of color, can broaden the party’s base by appealing. black voters in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and others were disappointed with the policy of the institution.

After the win, White said in a post on social platform X: “Bring it to the boards… The People Are Coming.”

Democratic leaders denounced him as a far-right extremist.

“While Royce White’s language and policies seek to divide Minnesotans, Sen. Amy Klobuchar focuses on bringing people together to get things done and is consistently ranked as one of the most bipartisan and effective legislators of the Senate,” Ken Martin, State The president of the Democratic Party said in a statement. “The choice in November couldn’t be clearer.”

Fraser said earlier that White’s confrontational style and message will not attract the moderates and independents needed for a competitive challenge against Klobuchar, who is seeking a fourth term. He said he offered a more general approach, emphasizing fiscal conservatism, a strong defense, world leadership and small government. Fraser also highlighted his 26 years in the Navy, where he was an intelligence officer and served a combat tour in Iraq.

Neither had anywhere near the resources that Klobuchar has. White last reported raising $133,000, while Fraser took in $68,000. Meanwhile, Klobuchar has raised about $19 million this cycle and has more than $6 million available to spend on the campaign trail. She faced only nominal primary opposition.

Another clash between establishment and grassroots Republicans took place in western Minnesota’s 7th District. Endorsed by Trump Rep. GOP Michelle Fischbachconsidered one of the most conservative members of Congress, defeated small businessman Steve Boyd. Boyd ran to her right on a religious platform and prevented her from gaining endorsement at the district convention. Boyd said he spent $170,000, while Fischbach spent more than $1 million.

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This story has been updated to correct that Angie Craig represents District 2, not District 1.

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