Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via AP
Progressives in the House received a much-needed victory on Tuesday night with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) winning her primary one week after her fellow “squad” member Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) lost hers.
Unlike the primaries for Bush and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), who was also ousted recently, Omar’s race did not draw the involvement of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) despite her vocal criticism of Israel’s handling of its war in Gaza. But it was still a test of the progressive wing’s strength within the Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, the last major Senate race and at least one notable House race were also solidified.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries:
Omar gives ‘squad’ a much-needed win
The group of progressive House members known as the “squad” received a badly needed win when Omar held off the same primary challenger for the second cycle in a row.
Minnesota US House District 5 Democratic Primary
| Candidates | Party | Votes | Pct. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilhan Omar * | DEM | 67,920 | 56.2% | |
| Don Samuels | DEM | 51,839 | 42.9% | |
| Nate Schluter | DEM | 575 | 0.5% | |
| Abena McKenzie | DEM | 461 | 0.4% | |
| Total | 120,795 |
Omar nearly lost in a shock upset two years ago when former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels came within 2,500 votes of ousting her. This came despite Omar significantly outraising him, as well as having higher name recognition.
Samuels decided to face off against Omar in a rematch. With progressives under more intense scrutiny in the wake of their criticism of Israel’s handling of the war following Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack against the country on Oct. 7, Omar seemed to be in a potentially vulnerable position.
He attacked her as too divisive and not focused on serving her district, while arguing that he would be more effective in the House.
But a few factors worked in Omar’s favor this time. She again outraised Samuels by a lot, but this time also outspent him, an apparent acknowledgment of the need to work to ensure an upset win didn’t happen. Just as significantly, AIPAC stayed out of her primary.
Progressives can breathe a sigh of relief with her win, but Samuels did still manage to win about 43 percent of the vote, a significant margin for a primary challenger who was well outraised and spent.
