'Squad' member Ilhan Omar narrowly survives primary challenge from pro-police centrist candidate
Omar was first elected to Congress in 2018 and has made several questionable remarks about Israel
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Incumbent "Squad" Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has narrowly defeated her primary challenger, Don Samuels, in the race for the Democratic nomination to represent Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.
Samuels, a pro-police candidate and former Minneapolis City Council member, offered a more centrist policy approach and received key endorsements from leaders across the state, including from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
Omar, a native of Somalia who was first elected to Congress in 2018, has had a political career marred in controversy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As part of the infamous House "Squad," Omar, a former member of the Minnesota state House of Representatives, supported far left policies and has made questionable remarks throughout her short tenure in Congress about Israel.
OMAR, BOWMAN, FAR-LEFT ACTIVISTS CALL FOR CLARENCE THOMAS TO BE IMPEACHED
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is seen in the U.S. Capitol during a group photo with the Congressional Black Caucus, on Wednesday, April 6, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In June 2021, Omar made headlines and garnered backlash from her colleagues when she claimed that America and Israel had committed "unthinkable atrocities" akin to the Taliban and Hamas.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Aound the same time, Omar accused Israel of committing "war crimes" following days of conflict between Israel and Hamas that saw thousands of missiles fired indiscriminately at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Minnesota 5th Congressional District candidate Don Samuels, center, is greeted by supporters at his primary election night watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, at Canopy by Hilton Minneapolis Mill District in Minneapolis. (Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via AP)
Omar previously drew criticism for tweeting that Israel had "hypnotized" the world and for suggesting that a pro-Israel organization paid politicians to support the Jewish state, in addition to her support for the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Following George Floyd's death in May, Omar was one of the leading proponents of the "defund the police" movement. In October 2021, Omar blamed law enforcement officers for a spike in crime across Minneapolis, accusing them of not fulfilling their oath of office.
"What we must also recognize is that the reduction in policing currently in our city and the lawlessness that is happening is due to two things," Omar said during a town hall event in Minneapolis.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks to reporters as she walks out of a House Democratic Progressive Caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One of them, she said, is that "the police have chosen to not fulfill their oath of office and to provide the public safety they are owed to the citizens they serve."
Unlike her colleagues who remain undecided on whether to support President Biden should he officially run for re-election in 2024, Omar said in June that she would "of course" support him.
Fox News' Houston Keene and Yael Halon contributed to this report.