Introduction: Ilhan Omar

The Minnesota election is the latest in a series
of bitter primaries for progressive Democrats critical of the war in Gaza.
Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota won

the state’s Democratic primary, the Associated Press
reports, in a rematch against Dan Samuels,
who ran against him.

According to the Minnesota

According to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s tally,
216 of 217 counties have reported results, with
Samuels leading Omar by 56.2% to 42.9%.

“We are pursuing the politics of happiness,”
Omar told supporters in Minneapolis Tuesday night.
“We know the joy of fighting for our neighbor…we know

the joy of ensuring that housing is a human right. We know
it’s fun to fight to make healthcare a human right.
We know that it is good to live in a peaceful and equal world.

Tuesday’s race was the latest in a series of heated
primaries for the progressive “apostasy” of House Democrats,
who have been heavily criticized for their criticism of

Israel’s war in Gaza. Squad members Jamal Bowman
of New York and Cory Bush of Missouri recently lost
to candidates backed by a flood of pro-Israel spending. Omar ran a modest race.

The two-term congresswoman became the first woman
of color to represent Minnesota in the U.S. House
of Representatives in 2019. During his presidency,
he aligned himself with the left wing of the Democratic

Party and served as vice chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. And he supports important progressive policies like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.

Even before the October 7 attack on Hamas and the subsequent Israeli attack, Omar had established himself as a staunch critic of Israel. In 2019, he criticized the financial contributions of the American Israel Political Affairs Committee (I-PAC). The comment sparked accusations of anti-Semitism, for which he later apologized.

Samuels said he was “very disappointed” by the loss.

“I expect a strong ground game and attention to exit details to lead to further dollar gains,” he told The Associated Press. “Obviously there’s a little more money in politics than I expected.”