Radical Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-MN) primary challenger, Don Samuels, lashed out against her competitor after Samuels explained on "The Break Down with Brodkorb and Becky" podcast last month that Omar is "not cute enough" to ignore the voters of Minnesota's fifth congressional district.
"And so to see government not be responsive like that to the people who pay them, it is offensive to me," Samuels explained on the podcast. "And to not be responsive and available to those people? To meet with them and find out what their concerns are and to answer their tough questions? To not get back to people on the phone? Who do you think you are? And who do you think you're working for? You're not cute enough, you don't dress well enough, nothing about you is attractive enough to overcome that deficit."
Samuels' comments forced Omar to defend herself on X/Twitter, with the Democrat writing, "This is beneath the dignity of any adult, let alone someone seeking public office. It is reminiscent of the worst kinds of lies and misogyny that we are hearing from people like Donald Trump, who think they can say anything about women and get away with it. Like Trump, instead of engaging in an adult debate, [Don Samuels] relies on lies and sexism. We need civility now more than ever, and Don's behavior should be alarming to anyone who agrees."
As previously reported by the DC Enquirer, Samuels, a Minneapolis city councilman, announced his challenge to Omar after he was unsuccessful in dethroning her in the 2022 midterms. He announced his bid on WCCO's Sunday Take with Blois Olson, explaining that "Ilhan hasn't helped herself. She has made missteps, even after the last race. There are some folks who 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's done and what she'll do."
"If there's one virtue that Omar has is that she is consistent," the 74-year-old said about his opponent. "She is consistently divisive and inappropriate. She's consistently that way personally, locally, nationally, and internationally." Omar barely defeated Samuels by only two points in the Democrat primary when Omar got 57,683 votes (50.3 percent) to Samuels's 55,217 votes (48.2 percent). She then went on to defeat her Republican opponent in the November midterms. This time around will likely be different, however, given that Omar has repeatedly supported pro-Palestinian demonstrations and causes amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. This decision, which has included sharing Hamas propaganda about the bombing of the al-Ahli hospital, has opened her up to attacks from more moderate Democrats who support Israel.
"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 about Omar's recent statements. According to POLITICO, Omar, the leader of the Progressive Caucus and a prominent member of the Squad, is not the only radical Democrat to be challenged this cycle with Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), and Summer Lee (D-PA) are all facing challenges from Democrats.
If Samuels attempt to unseat Omar is successful, it would be a significant blow to progressives across the country who see Omar as a leader of their movement. Omar's campaign released a statement attacking Samuels by arguing that he has ties to GOP megadonor and friend to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, as well as American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) donor Paul Singer. "I've continued to fight for the progressive values Minnesotans sent me to advocate for—whether it's fighting to codify Roe v. Wade into law, pushing for historic climate legislation, addressing the opioid crisis, or fighting for an assault weapons ban," Omar said about her time in Congress.
As the race for Omar's seat continues to heat up, Americans everywhere are hoping that the end of her political career will come sooner rather than later.
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