Omar faces rival in primary defined by int'l conflict

Despite being outraised by 6-to-1, Don Samuels said he received three times more money from Minnesota than Omar

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By Gabriel Castilho / The Hubbard School

Member of congress Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is set to face a familiar challenger from within her own party in next week’s Democratic primary. 

The former city council member and now Democratic candidate Don Samuels ran against Omar in 2022, losing to her by two percentage points in a hotly contested primary. 

But this year, the war in Gaza might be the issue that determines the winner.

On October 7, 2023, Palestinian militants attacked Israel, beginning the Israel-Hamas war. As the war continues, both Democratic candidates have shown different views for its outcome.

In February, this year, Rep. Omar was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a party-line vote over her past pro-Palestinian comments. On April 9, Omar called for a halt to offensive weapons transfer to Israel in a press release. 

“What is at stake is our humanity and whether we have a person that cares about peace and justice, or we have somebody who's just going to do what lobbying groups tell them about a foreign country’s policies decisions,” rep. Ilhan Omar said when asked about what is at stake in the upcoming Democratic primary race.

On the other side, challenger Samuels has shifted his view of the conflict throughout the campaign. According to MinnPost, Samuels slammed the Minneapolis City Council when it approved a symbolic resolution in January calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamar war; humanitarian aid to Palestine; as well as other causes.

Largely reliant on grassroots campaigning, Samuels received a last minute $350,000 donation from the nation’s leading pro-Israel group–a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Joe Radinovich, Samuel’s campaign manager, told the Times $4 million would be enough to defeat Omar.

But now, it seems Samuels’ has shifted its opinion on the conflict.

“I think we need a ceasefire,” Samuels said. “I think it has gone too far, the carnage is incomprehensible and very painful and it must stop. We must now move toward a sustainable peace, that means justice on all sides.”

The Campaign Budget

Rep. Ilhan Omar has raised over six million dollars for her reelection campaign, with $1.8 million of those being cash on hand. Two months ago, her campaign spent half a million dollars on advertising for the Aug. 13 primary.

Samuels, on the other hand, raised almost a million dollars, with $334,000 cash on hand.

“When you look at the money raised inside the state, we are raising more than three times what she raised in the state,” Samuels said. “By 360,000, to over one million dollars on our part.”

According to him, one of the advantages Omar has is her national support. However, he said “this is a local race, district five, 750,000 people from this region, they are looking for relevant solutions for their concerns.”

Looking Ahead

The Democratic Party primary will occur on August 13, with early voting happening until Monday, August 12. No Republican has won Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in 64 years, so the Democratic nominee is likely to secure the seat.