Last week, Representative Cori Bush, Democrat from Missouri, was been defeated in the Democratic primary election. She followed Rep. Jamaal Bowman from New York, and as both lawmakers were members of the anti-Israel, often antisemitic “Squad,” said squad has been cut down to seven – from nine.
Now, according to the right-wing Daily Wire, Republicans in Minnesota are being asked to add a third X to the squad portraits by denying Rep. Ilhan Omar victory in this Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Marina Medvin, described by Politico as a “Conservative firebrand,” tweeted last Thursday: “Ilhan Omar’s primary is this upcoming Tuesday. It’s an open primary where people can cross party lines to vote for her opponent if they so choose. Her Democratic primary challenger is Don Samuels. Let’s hope to see her replaced.”
Ilhan Omar’s primary is this upcoming Tuesday.
It’s an open primary where people can cross party lines to vote for her opponent if they so choose. Her Democratic primary challenger is Don Samuels.
Let’s hope to see her replaced. pic.twitter.com/mOhXSHRYeQ
— Marina Medvin ?? (@MarinaMedvin) August 7, 2024
The incumbent Ilhan Omar narrowly defeated former Minneapolis City Council Member Don by 51% to 48% in 2022. In real numbers, Omar won by some 2,500 votes. Representative Omar seeks her fourth term in Congress, representing Minnesota’s Fifth District, which includes Minneapolis and neighboring suburbs. Omar made history as the first Somali-American to be elected to public office.
Her challenger, Samuels, is making his second attempt to win the congressional seat.
The daily Wire argued that since Republican candidate Dalia Al-Aqidi is running unopposed in the primary, Minnesota Republicans should vote for Samuels and help sever a third of the antisemitic Squad.
Laura Loomer, another right-wing activist, tweeted: “In 2022, Ilhan Omar barely won her primary by 2,466 votes. If 5,000 Republicans cast a ballot against her in the primary on August 13, she will be removed from office.”
Samuels declared in response, “We don’t have anything to do with that, and we don’t want anything to do with that. Just because Representative Ilhan Omar attracts a circus doesn’t mean we’re buying a ticket.”
How can you not like this man?
AIPAC doesn’t, for unknown reasons. Even though Samuels campaign attacked Omar’s positions on Israel, calling her a “pawn for Hamas,” AIPAC didn’t come a knockin’. According to Mother Jones, the nice folks from AIPAC gave Samuels $5,000. In 2022, he received $350,000 from United Democracy Project. According to Jewish Insider, AIPAC went with a different candidate, Minneapolis Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw.
Omar has managed to raise more than $7 million – almost five-times Samuels’ war chest. According to Omar’s campaign, most of Samuels’ contributions have come from Republicans looking to make Omar the last Somali-born Congresswoman.
Samuels has focused his criticism on several aspects of Omar’s record: her frequent absence from congressional votes; her stance on foreign policy issues; her controversial trip to the World Cup, paid for by Qatar’s government; and the ongoing fraud allegations surrounding her husband.
Last April, Samuels tweeted an attack on Omar for voting against an anti-Iran bipartisan legislation which had near-unanimous support from Democrats:
Congress passed numerous bills to confront Iran this week after its unprecedented attack on Israel. This legislation was bipartisan and received near-unanimous support from Democrats. My opponent, Rep. Ilhan Omar, was one of only three Democrats to vote against every bill. pic.twitter.com/8moBlzpTHB
— Don Samuels (@DonSamuelsMN) April 19, 2024
A July poll shows Omar leading Samuels by 27 points. An internal poll released by the Samuels campaign showed him trailing Omar only slightly, with more than 20% of voters still undecided. Will 5,000 Republicans go to the polls on Tuesday to vote for a Democrat? They could change the face of Congress for the better.
