U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and Don Samuels square off in DFL primary election rematch in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar nearly lost her congressional seat two years ago to DFL challenger Don Samuels, who came within about two percentage points of defeating her. The Minneapolis congresswoman will face Samuels again in a closely watched Democratic primary election Tuesday night, and she’s vowed to defeat him by a larger margin.

Omar, the first Somali American elected to Congress, is seeking a fourth term and has the Minnesota DFL’s endorsement. She’s outraised and outspent Samuels this year and said “we’re not leaving a single door un-knocked,” acknowledging she didn’t take Samuels seriously enough in their first race. Omar, 41, had defeated her previous DFL primary challenger, Antone Melton-Meaux, by about 20 percentage points in 2020.

The former Minneapolis City Council member Samuels found success against Omar in 2022 by criticizing her support for a failed ballot measure to replace the Minneapolis Police Department. Samuels, 75, has advocated against gun violence ever since a bullet pierced his north Minneapolis home more than two decades ago. He’s cast Omar as a divisive figure in the district and said she’s a liability for Democrats, referencing how Republicans such as former President Donald Trump frequently use her as a political foil.

Two of Omar’s fellow progressive “Squad” members in the U.S. House, Missouri Rep. Cori Bush and New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman, recently lost their Democratic primary elections. After Bush lost last week, Samuels saw a last-minute surge of enthusiasm, with more than $150,000 in donations pouring in.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other pro-Israel groups spent millions trying to unseat Bowman and Bush. But they hadn’t spent a dime on Omar’s race and it was unlikely they would at the last minute.

Their absence from the race could suggest they view Omar as too difficult to defeat this year.

“I do think it does say, and they’ve alluded to this, that they do not think (Samuels) has the viability … and are not interested in probably wasting their money helping a candidate that is struggling to gain any momentum,” Omar said in an interview.

Omar has been an outspoken critic of Israel for years, and she’s advocated for a cease-fire in Gaza amid the ongoing war. She said she’s urged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to do what they can to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and she would continue to do so if she’s reelected and Harris becomes president.

Samuels has accused Omar of making one-sided statements about the war in Gaza and minimizing Hamas’ attack on Israel last October. He’s pitched himself as someone who can bridge the partisan divide and deliver more resources for the Fifth District, which includes Minneapolis and nearby suburbs.

“Every election, she’s had strong opposition because of this increasing concern about her performance,” Samuels said of Omar. “This district has demonstrated a loyalty to its congressional leadership. Congresswoman Omar is an anomaly in the Fifth District for the amount of challenges she’s had.”

At Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park on Tuesday, Omar got a chilly reception from some voters.

“Ilhan Omar’s views are not views I share,” said Jeff Zacker, referring specifically to the congresswoman’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war. He said he voted for Samuels.

Shiron Van Dyke also voted for Samuels in St. Louis Park. She said she doesn’t think Omar pays enough attention to her constituents, and she criticized past comments made by the congresswoman that she felt were anti-Semitic. But Van Dyke said she was doubtful that Samuels would beat Omar.

“The only way he wins is if every Don Samuels voter turns up,” she said. “I hope they all come out.”

In the closing days before the primary election, some prominent Republicans from Minnesota and the U.S. urged conservatives who live in the Fifth District to vote for Samuels.

“If you live in Minnesota and you’re a Republican, I’m calling on you to vote for Ilhan Omar’s DEMOCRAT opponent in the August 13th primary,” far-right activist and provocateur Laura Loomer posted on X to her 1.2 million followers. “You are allowed to do this in an Open primary. Omar almost lost in 2022. If 5,000 GOP voters cross over to vote against her on the 13th, we can remove her from office.”

Royce White, the Minnesota GOP-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate, chimed in: “I will gladly give up 5,000 votes in the CD5 primary to accomplish this goal. Everywhere else in the state vote for Royce White for U.S. Senate,” White posted on X.

Omar appeared to respond to those calls in a post on X Sunday, saying, “MN05 deserves someone who will champion their values, not seek support from vile MAGA Republicans like Laura Loomer and Royce White.”

The GOP attempts to meddle in the DFL primary was a topic of conversation among some Fifth District voters on Tuesday.

Anne Ebbens, 77, cast her vote for Omar at the Linden Hills Recreation Center. She said Samuels didn’t make a compelling enough case for her to vote for him. And Ebbens said she became more suspicious of Samuels after Republicans called for conservatives to cross over and vote for him in the Democratic primary.

“Even though (Samuels) didn’t ask for that, the fact that they would do that makes me wonder why they would want him as opposed to her,” Ebbens said. “It just wasn’t right. It did not pass that smell test.”

Minutes later, 45-year-old Chris Voss walked in and voted for Samuels, whom he believes can deliver more resources to the Fifth District. Voss, who also voted in the Democratic primary for Samuels two years ago, said he thinks Omar is more focused on generating headlines than addressing district-level issues such as homelessness, crime and economic development.

“(Samuels has) done great work in the past with investment in north Minneapolis and in the community, and that’s what we need,” said Voss, who lives in Linden Hills. But he, too, said he didn’t think Samuels would win Tuesday night.

“I expect she’ll win convincingly,” Voss said of Omar.

Several voters at polling places in Minneapolis and St. Louis Park on Tuesday said they were backing Omar.

“I like that she’s fighting for womens’ rights, the right to choose,” said Cindy Lindsley, who voted for Omar in St. Louis Park. Lindsley said abortion access is a very important issue for her granddaughter, so she votes to support her.

At the Sabathani Community Center in south Minneapolis, 48-year-old Matt DePratter said he supported Omar because “her progressive vote is just something that’s truly needed in our society right now.” DePratter said Samuels is a “great guy” but he’s just “a little too middle-of-the-road for me.”

“We tried to be moderates for decades, and we just kind of seem to be mired with no change happening in any direction,” said DePratter, who appreciates Omar’s advocacy for universal health care.

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