Another member of the Squad of left-wing Democrat lawmakers is facing a tough primary fight Tuesday, and Republicans could play a huge role in whether Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar advances to the general election in November.
Minnesota has an open primary process, meaning a voter can participate in the party primary of their choice. Republicans have been urged to cross over and vote for Omar’s main opponent, former Minneapolis City Councilmember Don Samuels, who narrowly lost to Omar in the 2022 Democrat primary.
Omar has represented Minnesota’s 5th congressional district since 2019. Her district in Minneapolis and its inner ring suburbs is among the most deeply Democrat districts in the U.S. After defeating Samuels by 2,466 votes in 2022, Omar easily defeated her Republican challenger, Cicely Davis, by nearly 50 percentage points.
Omar is trying to avoid becoming the third Squad member to lose a primary election this year after Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri. But Republicans are being urged to vote for Samuels.
"Vote for Samuels if you're in CD5. Everywhere else in the state, vote Royce White for Senate!" White, a former NBA player seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Amy Klobuchar, posted Aug. 7 on X.
Political analyst Blois Olson told KMSP-TV in Minneapolis he’s not sure the Republican votes will make a difference for Samuels. He said he’s expecting a lot more ballots cast in a presidential election, and he’s seeing a better prepared Omar campaign.
"She's not caught off guard this year," Olson said. "She's organized. She's spending money. She's raising money."
The winner of the Democrat primary will face Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi, who is running unopposed, in the general election. Al-Aqidi, a native of Iraq, ran in 2020 but was eliminated in the Republican primary.