U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar again faces off against Don Samuels in 5th District rematch, following close race in 2022

MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar faces a rematch in the primary election Tuesday against Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis City Councilmember who she narrowly beat two years ago.

Omar has represented the Fifth Congressional District since 2019. Her constituents in Minneapolis and the inner ring suburbs make up one of the most deeply Democratic districts in the country; the winner of the primary election has historically defeated the Republican nominee and headed to Congress.

The last time the two faced off on the primary ballot, it was a close call. Omar received 50% of the vote in 2022, while Samuels received 48%. Omar then went on to easily defeat Republican challenger Cicely Davis in the general election. 

Samuels said he’s feeling “very, very excited” about his chances in this rematch, telling CBS News congressional correspondent  Nikole Killion, “My opponent has probably the highest profile of all of the Squad, so she seems to be impervious and unbeatable, and that kind of has been sold as a truth to the funding community and the national community but the voters here in this district know who Don Samuels is.”

In 2022, Samuels launched a campaign largely based on the issue of crime in contrast to Omar, who in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, backed an overhaul of the Minneapolis police. Since then, she has moderated her stand. 

He was also among eight north Minneapolis residents who sued the city over its depleted police force. In June of 2022, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Minneapolis must hire a minimum of 731 officers. 

After the loss, Samuels reflected that the difference of just 2,500 votes “sends a message to the incumbent that her work needs serious help. She should listen to voters otherwise she can’t keep her seat.”

Samuels then appeared on a podcast last November and said Omar is “not cute enough” and doesn’t “dress well enough” to get away with allegedly ignoring her constituents. Though Samuels denied making the statement, Omar said it was “beneath the dignity of any adult” and accused him of sexism.

Omar is in good financial position going into the primary. By the end of June she had raised nearly $5 million and had more than $2.5 million left in cash for the campaign, according to federal filings. Samuels had raised $750,000 and had $230,000 cash in hand.

She also received help from Sen. Bernie Sanders, who came to Minnesota to support progressive candidates in early August, as well as campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“I think it’s going to be a tough race, I think it’s going to be close but I think she has an excellent chance to win,” said Sanders.

Samuels, however, says there is a renewed energy for his campaign this time around; he’s grown his operation of volunteers 13-fold from two years ago.

Since 2022, Omar has faced criticism about her positions on Israel. She condemned the Hamas attack after it happened and has called for a ceasefire, but has also drawn fire for some of her comments, including a recent one where she said some pro-Israeli demonstrators were pro-genocide.

She was ousted by Republicans from the Foreign Affairs Committee for remarks she made soon after she was elected that implied lawmakers who supported Israel were motivated by money. The Republican-led House ousted her in what was viewed as a response to Democrats who had booted far-right GOP lawmakers Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar over comments and alleged support of violence against Democratic colleagues.

Omar promised she would not be silenced and that her voice would only get louder and stronger. 

For information on your polling place and what will be on your ballot, click here. 

To see a list of full election results, click here.

Nikole Killion

contributed to this report.