Rep. Ilhan Omar Wins Democratic Primary in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS—Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has won the Democratic primary in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District after fending off a challenge from a moderate Democrat in a close contest.
“This campaign has been one of the ugliest, most disgusting campaigns against me that I have ever witnessed,” Omar remarked at her election night victory party at Nighthawks bar in Minneapolis.
The Republican primary in the district was uncontested, with former journalist Dalia Al-Aqidi being the unopposed GOP candidate running in November.
Omar is the first Somali-American and hijab-wearing lawmaker elected to Congress and is a member of the “Squad”—a group of progressive House Democrats. She has been critical of Israel and has charged that the Jewish state is committing a “genocide” in Gaza.
Samuels took a different position from Omar on Gaza during the campaign by emphasizing Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorists.
“I believe Israel has a right to defend itself,” Samuels told The Epoch Times after casting his vote in the primary at Minneapolis’s Capri Theater. “Now, we have seen enough carnage, especially women and children being killed. It’s beyond what we can handle … we need a cease-fire, we need a transformation to a negotiated settlement.”
Samuels also called for a two-state solution and a “Marshall Plan-like” restoration of Gaza.
At her election night party, The Epoch Times asked Omar how her campaign differed from the Bush and Bowman campaigns. She did not respond.
The Epoch Times spoke with dozens of voters across the district for their views on Omar and the primary contest.
“I like her spunk and I don’t think she’s done a bad job so far,” Carrie Thompson, a voter in uptown Minneapolis, told The Epoch Times.
“I like her stance on the Palestinian people … we shouldn’t be providing Israel with bombs to, pretty much, kill innocent people,” added Thompson’s husband, Shawn Jefferson.
Laura Tablish, a voter and Omar supporter, told The Epoch Times that she has attended debates involving Samuels, “and I don’t trust him at all.”
“He goes by ‘Democrat,’ but he’s very conservative, and I don’t necessarily think that we need conservatives.”
“I don’t appreciate some of the status quo that we’ve taken in the Middle East, and I think having a voice for other groups is important,” said Matthew, a voter at Minneapolis’s Willard-Hay neighborhood, to The Epoch Times when asked why he supported Omar.
“I like the immigrant story. My family is full of immigrants as well, so I see her, as well. She’s relatable,” said Melanie Oi, a voter in Minneapolis’s downtown area. “I just want someone in office that I can relate to, that understands the issues that people like us are going through.”
“I think she’s very one-sided, as far as I’m concerned. Everything seems to be kind of for the South side of town. I just don’t see her as being full[ly] representative,” said Tom Andrew Jack, a veteran and resident of Northeastern Minneapolis. On Omar’s rhetoric about Gaza, he said, “It’s wrong to be involved in that, as far I’m concerned. I think there are local things here that need to be resolved … I can’t stand behind anyone who wants to devalue police and stuff like that”
“Omar has the bad habit of making anti-Semitic statements. Then she has to go back and apologize for them, and that makes her look, you know, racist and not good,” said Kevin Jorgensen, a voter in downtown Minneapolis. “When she first ran, I voted for her, but then I decided to give Samuels a chance,” he said.
Fischbach, a two-term member of Congress who unseated 30-year incumbent Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) in 2020, defeated Steve Boyd, a business owner and homeschool parent.
Fischbach has emphasized her pro-life record, support for the Second Amendment and border security, and renegotiating trade deals to benefit farmers.
Boyd’s campaign, similarly, emphasized agriculture and social issues as his top priorities.
Fischbach’s victory makes her the likely winner of the general election in November. Minnesota’s 7th District is heavily Republican.