Ilhan Omar secures the Democratic nomination, which serves as an incentive for liberals in the United States House of Representatives

In a victory for progressives, firebrand U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar secured the Democratic Party nomination for a fourth term on Tuesday, following the losses of two fellow members of the group dubbed “The Squad” in the party primaries.

Former Minneapolis city council member Don Samuels was defeated by Omar in the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s 5th District.

Omar was leading Samuels by 56.2% to 42.9% with 216 of 217 precincts reporting results, according to Minnesota Secretary of State tallies.

In a telephone interview, Samuels acknowledged Omar’s victory at the conclusion of a passionate campaign, but she also stated that the results indicated that “there are still individuals who are feeling excluded from the congresswoman’s leadership.”

Omar’s victory was likely significantly influenced by her successful campaign fundraising.

Federal campaign disclosures indicate that she has accumulated $6.8 million since the 2022 election, which is more than double the average reelection campaign of a House member and significantly more than Samuels’ $1.4 million.

Ryan Dawkins, a political science professor at Carleton College in Minnesota, stated that Omar was better prepared this time around due to her successful fundraising efforts and strong ground game, which significantly outpaced Samuels’s during the 2022 election cycle.

The Nov. 5 election is anticipated to be easily won by the Minnesota lawmaker, who is one of four progressive women who, during the 2018 election, established The Squad. The presidency will be contested by Republican Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, with the control of Congress at stake.

Representatives Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri, who are also members of the Squad, each lost their party primaries in the past few months. Their opponents had received substantial support from the pro-Israel fundraising group AIPAC.

The data compiled by Open Secrets indicates that AIPAC had contributed only $25 to Samuels’ campaign as of mid-July, despite the fact that Bowman, Bush, and Omar had all expressed their opposition to President Joe Biden’s support for Israel in its conflict against Hamas militants in Gaza. Bowman and Bush’s departures will diminish The Squad’s membership from its apex of nine members.

Additionally, they are indicative of a Democratic Party that has abandoned some of its most radical causes, such as the proposal to defund the police or the provision of government-backed healthcare for all Americans. These issues were prominently discussed during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, prior to Biden’s nomination.

The absence of a substantial 2024 Democratic primary prior to Biden’s termination of his candidacy last month, which passed the torch to Harris, resulted in the debate not being dominated by further-left candidates, such as independent Senator Bernie Sanders.

Alan Minsky, executive director of Progressive Democrats of America, stated, “I was aware that the progressive movement would be burdened by the absence of a figurehead to represent the movement on the national stage going into this election cycle.”

In spite of this, he maintained that progressive objectives, including the reduction of the cost of prescription medications and childcare, continue to resonate with voters.

Some Squad members, including Omar, voted against certain Biden priorities, such as the $1 trillion infrastructure measure that was signed into law in 2021. They were primarily opposed to the measure because it failed to advance in conjunction with a law that was intended to broaden social programs, such as childcare, as had been promised.

Contrary to the uncompromising Republican House Freedom Caucus, which has consistently obstructed the priorities of its own party, The Squad members have generally voted in accordance with their Democratic colleagues on legislation.

Omar, a Somali immigrant who immigrated to the United States as a refugee, characterizes her political stance as “visionary, bold, and outspoken.” She claims to have allocated millions of dollars in federal funds for community development in her district.

She contended that she has conducted a thorough investigation into the potential discrimination against Muslim Americans by large institutions, specifically in relation to the substantial immigrant population in her district, which includes Somalis.

House Republicans voted to remove her from the Foreign Affairs Committee in 2023 due to a 2019 social media post that suggested Israel’s supporters were motivated by money rather than principle. She has encountered criticism for her antisemitic remarks. Omar issued an apology for that post.

Samuels, a former toy developer and leader of a non-profit organization, was born in Jamaica. He had declared himself a pragmatic alternative, stating that he concurred with many of Omar’s policy positions but disagreed with her divisive governing approach.