Progressive bomb-thrower Ilhan Omar (D-Mn.) is facing a difficult primary challenge from the Minneapolis councilman who nearly unseated her last year.
Don Samuels said Omar is "beatable" after he came within two points of defeating her last time.
“Ilhan hasn’t helped herself,” Samuels said. “She has made missteps, even after the last race. And so some folks are coming [to support me] because of what I am, who I am, and what I will do, and some are coming because of what she does and will do.”
Ever since she came to Congress, Omar has stood out with her radical and unapologetic rhetoric demonizing America and Israel.
Despite her constant brushes with controversy, Omar has won re-election twice - but Samuels predicts that her constituents have finally had enough.
“My opponent is known for divisiveness and rancor personally, locally, nationally, and internationally,” he said.
The war in Israel has exposed a divide between moderate Democrats and far-left progressives, like Omar, who have been accused of sympathizing with Hamas terrorists.
“So we have to remember that Israel is our ally. Hamas is, in fact, a terrorist organization. But our No. 1 allies are justice and peace,” Samuels said.
Omar's district has a large population of Somali Muslims who may sympathize with her controversial views, but Samuels is also looking to capitalize on more local concerns like policing.
The Fifth District has suffered greatly from a lack of policing since the death of George Floyd, which led to the "defund the police" movement, of which Omar was a participant.
Businesses near the location where Floyd died have sued Minneapolis for failing to keep them safe.
“The long tails of the George Floyd and COVID issues continue, with empty storefronts and empty strip malls because people don’t want to invest anymore. They don’t think it’s safe,” Samuels said.
Like a broken record, Omar has accused Samuels of "sexism" after he commented that she is not pretty enough to get away with ignoring her constituents.
The Jamaican-born Samuels served on the Minneapolis City Council from 2003 to 2014.
Omar is also facing a Republican challenge from an Iraqi Muslim immigrant, making this potentially the first U.S. congressional race where both candidates are Muslim.
