‘Squad’ Member Ilhan Omar To Face Competitive Primary Challenger

Former Democratic Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels announced Sunday that he will attempt to unseat Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, according to The Associated Press.

Samuels previously challenged Omar in August 2022, a race in which he was narrowly defeated, garnering 48.2% support to Omar’s 50.3%. Samuels called Omar, a member of the ‘Squad,’ divisive and believes a more moderate option is needed, according to the AP.

“Our congresswoman has a predilection to divisiveness and conflict,” Samuels told the AP.

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

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi offered a late endorsement to Omar in the 2022 race, but the Jamaican-born Samuels also received significant endorsement from local officials in Minneapolis.

“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,” Samuels told the AP.

Samuels opposed defunding the police following the death of George Floyd while Omar, on the other hand, called it a “policy demand,” according to the AP.

“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,” Omar told the Daily Caller News Foundation.  “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,” Omar continued.

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.