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Democratic congresswoman and member of the “Squad”, Ilhan Omar, has fended off a primary election challenge in Minnesota, according to US media projections. <\/p>\n
Ms Omar faced three challengers in the primary contest to determine the party’s nominee and will now continue on to the November election in the state’s solidly Democratic-leaning 5th District. <\/p>\n
The race had been closely watched after successful primary challengers took down two fellow members of the “Squad” – a group of progressive Democrats who have been among the most vocal critics in Congress of Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n
It was one of several primary races on Tuesday in Connecticut, Wisconsin, Vermont and Minnesota. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
With 99% of the votes counted on Tuesday night, the Associated Press reported that Ms Omar won with more than 67,000 votes, which was just over 56%.<\/p>\n
Coming in second was Don Samuels, a former member of the Minneapolis City Council who had also narrowly lost to Ms Omar in 2022.<\/p>\n
He received just under 43% of the votes on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
Earlier this month Rep Cori Bush of Missouri<\/a> lost her primary race and in June Jamaal Bowman in New York<\/a> was also defeated – both after pro-Israel groups poured millions into those races backing other Democrats. <\/p>\n The pair were elected in 2020 amid a year marked by racial justice protests after the killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man. <\/p>\n A Super-Pac operated by the pro-Israel group American Israel Public Affairs Committee appears to have stayed out of Ms Omar’s race. <\/p>\n It had spent millions in races against Mr Bowman and Ms Bush, according to data from Open Secrets, which tracks money in politics. <\/p>\n Super-Pacs are independent “political action committees” that can raise unlimited amounts of money to support an election candidate.<\/p>\n The Intercept reported on Sunday that a last-minute effort by wealthy pro-Israel donors raised six-figure sums to help Mr Samuels.<\/p>\n Opinion polls had suggested Ms Omar would win the challenge. <\/p>\n An internal poll taken last month indicated she was ahead by 30 points, according to media reports. <\/p>\n Ms Omar has gotten help on the campaign trail from progressive Senator Bernie Sanders and Vice-President Kamala Harris, who is running for president. <\/p>\n Ms Omar, who was born in Somalia, is one of the first Muslims to be elected to the US Congress. <\/p>\n She had been an outspoken critic of Israel even before the war in Gaza. <\/p>\n She was removed by the Republican-controlled House from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in February 2023 over a number of comments she’d made about Israel. <\/p>\n Democrats and Ms Omar said at the time it was revenge after two Republicans were ousted from committees in 2020 when Democrats held a House majority.<\/p>\n In 2019, Ms Omar seemed to suggest that Israel demands “allegiance” from American lawmakers and any criticism is viewed as antisemitic, implying money was behind the support for Israel. <\/p>\n Ms Omar apologised for those remarks. <\/p>\n In 2022, when the two last faced off, Ms Omar received 50% of the vote and Mr Samuels received 48%.<\/p>\n Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who has served in the upper chamber of the US Congress since 2007, also won her primary challenge on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n