MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the progressive House members known as “The Squad” and a sharp critic of Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza, is trying to avoid the fate of two of her closest allies when Minnesota holds its primary elections on Tuesday.
Omar is defending her seat in Minneapolis' 5th District against a repeat challenge from former City Councilman Don Samuels, a more centrist liberal whom she narrowly defeated in the 2022 primary.
In the key national race on the ballot, conservative populist and former NBA player Royce White is facing off against a more conventional GOP candidate, Navy veteran Joe Fraser, for the right to challenge Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Meanwhile, two newcomers are locked in a bitter battle for the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic Rep. Angie Craig in the mostly suburban 1st District in November.
Omar's fellow Squad member Rep. Cori Bush lost the Democratic nomination in Missouri last week. Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York lost his June primary. The only charter member not facing a primary challenge is Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
Both Bush and Bowman faced well-funded opponents and millions of dollars in spending from the United Democracy Project, a large political action committee affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. It appears that committee is skipping the Minnesota race.
But Omar isn’t taking the win for granted. Omar reported spending $2.3 million ahead of the 2022 primary. During the same period this year, she reported raising about $6.2 million. Samuels has raised about $1.4 million.
Omar — a Somali-American and Muslim — was criticized in her first term by the Jamaican-born Samuels and others for comments that were widely criticized for invoking anti-Semitic tropes and suggesting that Jewish Americans have divided loyalties. This time around, Samuels has drawn criticism for her condemnation of the Israeli government’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.
While Omar has also criticized Hamas for attacking Israel and taking hostages, Samuels says it is one-sided and divided. He also highlights the public safety issues he focused on in 2022. The big issue then was policing in Minneapolis, where a former police officer killed George Floyd in 2020.
The winner in the overwhelmingly Democratic district will face Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi, an Iraqi-American journalist and self-described secular Muslim, who calls Omar pro-Hamas and a terrorist sympathizer.
In the U.S. Senate race, White, an ally of jailed former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, shocked many political observers when he defeated Fraser at the party convention for the GOP's endorsement.
White’s social media comments have been condemned as misogynistic, homophobic, anti-Semitic and blasphemous. His legal and financial troubles include unpaid alimony and questionable campaign spending, including $1,200 spent at a Florida strip club after he lost his 2022 primary challenge to Omar. He argues that as a Black man, he can broaden the party’s base by appealing to voters of color in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and others disillusioned with establishment politics.
Fraser has said that White's confrontational style and message will not attract the moderates and independents needed for a competitive challenge to Klobuchar, who is seeking a fourth term. He has said he offers a more mainstream approach, emphasizing fiscal conservatism, a strong defense, global leadership and small government. Fraser has also emphasized his 26 years in the Navy, where he was an intelligence officer and served a combat tour in Iraq.
Neither has anywhere near the resources of Klobuchar. White last reported raising $133,000, while Fraser had raised $68,000. Klobuchar, meanwhile, has raised about $19 million this cycle and has more than $6 million available to spend on the general election campaign. She faces only nominal primary opposition.
Craig is preparing for what is expected to be Minnesota's most competitive House race in November. Former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab and defense attorney Tayler Rahm are vying to challenge her. Teirab has the backing of Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and the National Republican Congressional Committee. He was better funded than Rahm, who won the district convention backed by grassroots conservatives.
Although Rahm announced in July that he would suspend his campaign and instead serve as a senior adviser to Trump's Minnesota campaign, he is still on the ballot and has not completely suspended his campaign.
Another clash between establishment and grassroots Republicans is playing out in western Minnesota’s 7th District. GOP Rep. Michelle Fischbach is seen as one of the most conservative members of Congress and has Trump’s backing. But small businessman Steve Boyd, who is running to her right on a religious platform, blocked her from showing her support at the district convention. Boyd has reported spending $170,000, while Fischbach has spent more than $1 million.
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