Democrat Ilhan Omar faces latest test to US House's liberal 'Squad'

[August 13, 2024]  By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Firebrand Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar faces a challenge from within her own party on Tuesday, after two fellow members of the liberal group nicknamed "The Squad" lost party primaries earlier this year.

The Minnesota lawmaker, one of four progressive women whose 2018 election created the group, faces a primary rematch with former Minneapolis city councilor Don Samuels, who came close to beating Omar in a 2022 primary.

The winner in the heavily Democratic district is expected to easily win the Nov. 5 election, when control of Congress will be up for grabs as Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump seek the presidency.

Fellow Squad members Representatives Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri lost their party primaries over the past few months, facing opponents who had won substantial support from the pro-Israel fundraising group AIPAC.

Bowman, Bush and Omar had all expressed opposition to President Joe Biden's support for Israel in its war against Hamas militants in Gaza, but AIPAC as of mid-July had given just $25 to Samuels' campaign, according to data collected by Open Secrets. Bowman and Bush's losses will whittle away the Squad's ranks from its peak of nine members.

They also reflect a party that has backed away from some of its furthest-left causes, like calls for providing government-backed healthcare for all Americans or talk of defunding police, which came to the fore during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary before Biden secured the nomination.

The absence of a significant 2024 Democratic primary before Biden ended his candidacy last month, passing the torch to Harris, meant that further-left candidates such as independent Senator Bernie Sanders did not drive the debate.

"I understood going into this election cycle that the progressive movement was going to be burdened because of the absence of somebody carrying the banner on the center stage of American politics," said Alan Minsky, executive director of Progressive Democrats of America.

Omar and some fellow Squad members voted against some Biden priorities including the $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed into law in 2021. Omar objected to that because it did not move in tandem with a bill to expand social programs, including childcare, as had been promised.

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/File Photo

Unlike the hardline Republican House Freedom Caucus, whose roughly three dozen members have repeatedly blocked their own party's priorities, members of the Squad have generally voted in step with fellow Democrats on legislation.

Omar, who arrived in the United States as a refugee from Somalia, describes her politics as "visionary, bold and loud" and says she has delivered millions of dollars in federal funds for community development in her district.

She argues she has paid close attention to her district's large immigrant population -- including Somalis -- in part by probing whether large banks discriminate against Muslim Americans.

She has faced criticism for antisemitic remarks, with House Republicans in 2023 voting to remove her from the Foreign Affairs Committee over a 2019 social media post suggesting that Israel's supporters were motivated by money rather than principle. Omar has apologized for that post.

Samuels campaign spokesperson Joe Radinovich described the Jamaica-born former toy developer and leader of a non-profit organization as "a lifelong, progressive pragmatic Democrat."

The Omar campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Omar beat Samuels by a narrow 50.3% to 48.2% in 2022. Her campaign has fundraised aggressively since, generating $6.8 million this cycle, more than double the typical House member's reelection campaign and well over Samuels' $1.4 million, according to federal campaign disclosures.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)

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