The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) chose not to target Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in her recent Democratic primary, despite its involvement in the defeats of Reps. Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman earlier this year.
Omar secured her reelection bid on Tuesday, defeating her primary challengers, including Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis City Council member who came close to unseating her in 2022. Omar won with 56% of the vote, while Samuels received 43%.
Two years ago, Don Samuels came within 2,500 votes of defeating Rep. Ilhan Omar. This time, Omar took the challenge more seriously, significantly outraising Samuels and preparing for potential attacks from the same political forces that contributed to the defeats of Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) earlier this year.
AIPAC has not explained why its super PAC, the United Democracy Project, did not target Omar after focusing on Bush and Bowman in the year’s most expensive House primaries. Samuels has suggested this was a missed opportunity for national groups.
The super PAC has selectively chosen its battles this year, also opting not to target Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) in her April primary.
The race was among the most high-profile primaries held across four states on Tuesday: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, and Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, voters confirmed a key Senate matchup between Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) and GOP businessman Eric Hovde.
In Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, Rep. Ilhan Omar, known for her outspoken criticism of Israel’s handling of the Gaza conflict following Hamas’s attacks last year, focused her campaign on issues such as abortion rights and securing local funding for her district. Her campaign promoted her as a “progressive leader delivering for Minnesota.”
Don Samuels criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as divisive and self-serving, highlighting her occasional disagreements with her party, including her 2021 vote against President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law. Omar, along with five other House Democrats, including Reps. Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, opposed the bill because it lacked a broader social spending component.
AIPAC’s super PAC targeted Bush and Bowman with extensive advertising over their stance on the infrastructure bill, but did not similarly focus on Omar. To counteract potential vulnerabilities, Omar aired a commercial in early July featuring Biden praising her during a visit to Minnesota last year.
Omar’s fundraising edge became apparent in the last weeks of the primary. She outspent Samuels $1.4 million to $222,000 during the first 24 days of July.
Towards the end of the campaign, Omar received support from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who rallied for her in Minneapolis, emphasizing the need for a strong victory.
Although the 5th District is not competitive in the general election, Republicans took an interest in the primary. Senate candidate Royce White suggested that Republican voters should participate in the Democratic primary to help defeat Omar, stating he would “gladly give up 5,000 votes in the CD5 primary to accomplish this goal.” The impact of any crossover voting on the primary result was not immediately clear.
src: washingtonpost.com
