Ilhan Omar fends off challengers to win primary after AIPAC stays out of the race

Rep. Ilhan Omar, the final member of the progressive Squad to face a primary this cycle, fended off her primary opponents in her Minneapolis-based 5th District on Tuesday.

Omar prevailed over Don Samuels, a former member of the Minneapolis City Council who had come just 2 points shy of unseating her in the midterms, along with two little-known competitors. Her win comes just a week after fellow Squad member Missouri Rep. Cori Bush lost her primary in an election that drew millions of dollars in spending from pro-Israel groups.

Omar’s race didn’t see that type of spending, and she faced less opposition than in the past.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the most prominent pro-Israel group, stayed out of her race this cycle despite looking to unseat candidates it deemed as not sufficiently pro-Israel — and despite United Democracy Project, AIPAC’s super PAC, spending six figures against Omar in 2022. Omar, a refugee of the civil war in Somalia, was one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, and she has been an outspoken critic of Israel. While AIPAC didn’t make a public play for her this time, she still issued warnings about — and fundraised off of — its potential influence in her race.