Rep. Ilhan Omar faces potential challenges in reelection bid
MINNEAPOLIS — Congresswoman Ilhan Omar again finds herself in a contested bid for reelection.
Omar almost lost in the August primary in 2022 to former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels. Samuels has announced he is running against her again.
Her reelection bid also comes amidst the backdrop of the escalating war in the Middle East.
Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis and its inner ring suburbs, is rated as a plus 30 for Democrats. That means it's 30 percentage points more Democratic than the average congressional district. And that means the Democratic primary in August of 2024 is almost certain to decide the winner.
In 2022, Samuels came within 2,500 votes of Omar, nearly upsetting her. Samuels is running again, and already the race has been marked by controversy. Omar blasted Samuel for being sexist after Samuels, in response to a question about Omar, said she was not "cute enough." Samuels maintained his quote was taken out of context and that he was not referring to Omar.
For her part, Omar has faced sharp criticism from Jewish groups for past anti-Semitic statements, which she has apologized for. In 2019 the state of Israel blocked Omar's planned visit to the country. Omar has said she supports President Joe Biden's reelection bid. But some Muslim groups, including ones here in the Twin Cities, are organizing a "Dump Biden" movement over the president's support for Israel and his failure to call for a ceasefire. The U.S. vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire.
Omar was a guest on WCCO Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m.
"I recently had a conversation with the president. Muslims were very pivotal to his election, they mobilized in all the key states. Young people were very instrumental in him getting elected," she said. "And what I reminded him was that he needs to listen to these voices. People are heartbroken. It's been really hard to have conversations about politics and policy. People just want the images of young children's bodies that are piling up to end and they want our support for this to end."
Omar has moved more to the center on some positions, actually helping broker a bill in the U.S. House to fund more money for police officers nationwide. In the primary she will also face political newcomer Tim Peterson, an Air Force veteran, and attorney Sarah Gad. At least one Republican, Dalia Al-Aqidi, is also running. Omar could face additional opposition. Candidates have until June to file for the August primary.
You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Adam Del Rosso every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.