Minnesota primary results:Democratic primary in Minnesota is won by leftist “Squad” member US Representative Ilhan Omar.

Minnesota primary results

Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, has prevailed in her Minnesota primary.

Omar is a member of the “Squad,” a group of leftist House members. In Tuesday’s primary, she prevailed over a re-challenge from former City Council member Don Samuels to retain her position in the 5th District, which covers the Minneapolis area.

In the 2022 primary, she only just prevailed against the more moderate liberal opponent. Omar is a scathing critic of how the Israeli government has managed the conflict with Hamas. She spared herself the fate of two other members of the Squad who lost their primaries against candidates supported by pro-Israel organizations.

THIS IS AN UPDATE ON BREAKING NEWS. The previous AP story is below.

Minneapolis, Minnesota (AP) – In a closely contested GOP primary, former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab defeated Democratic Representative Angie Craig for the seat in Minnesota’s 2nd District.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and former President Donald Trump all back Teirab.

With the help of grassroots conservatives, his opponent, defense attorney Tayler Rahm, was endorsed at the district convention.

Rahm stayed on the ballot despite declaring in July that he was quitting the race and would instead work as a senior advisor for Trump’s campaign in Minnesota.

In November, Teirab will take on Craig in what is anticipated to be the most contested House election in Minnesota.

After Teirab’s victory, Craig released a statement referring to him as “a guy who recently moved to the district because he saw a political opportunity.”

Craig described him as a man who had been trying for months to gain the backing of Republicans in Washington. “And he’s a guy who has dedicated his life to robbing families of their right to choose their reproductive path and handing that authority over to politicians.”

Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, a member of the progressive House group dubbed the “Squad” and a vocal opponent of Israel’s tactics in the Gaza War, is attempting to avoid what happened to two of her closest comrades on Tuesday in the primary elections in Minnesota.

Omar is fighting for her position in the 5th District, which is in the Minneapolis area, against a re-challenge from Don Samuels, a more moderate liberal who she narrowly defeated in the 2022 primary.

Conservative populist and former NBA star Royce White is running against more traditional GOP opponent Joe Fraser, a Navy veteran, in the primary statewide election to take on Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Last Monday, Rep. Cori Bush—a fellow member of Omar’s Squad—lost the Democratic candidacy in Missouri. New York Representative Jamaal Bowman lost his primary in June. Representative Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts is the only charter member who is not up against a primary opponent.

In addition to millions of dollars spent by the United Democracy Project, a super political action committee connected to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee—which seems to be boycotting the Minnesota race—both Bush and Bowman faced well-funded opponents.

Omar, nevertheless, isn’t letting his success get to him. Omar disclosed that he has spent $2.3 million prior to the 2022 primary. This year, she claimed to have raised roughly $6.2 million within the same time frame. About $1.4 million has been raised by Samuels.

Omar, a Muslim who was born in Somalia, faced criticism in her first term from Samuels, a Jamaican native, and others for remarks that were widely condemned for evoking antisemitic stereotypes and implying that Jewish Americans have conflicting allegiances. This time, Samuels has taken issue with her criticism of how the Israeli government handled the conflict with Hamas.

Samuels claims Omar is biased and divisive, despite the fact that she has also chastised Hamas for bombing Israel and kidnapping civilians. Additionally, he has emphasized the public safety concerns that he prioritized in 2022. The major concern at the time was Minneapolis police, after George Floyd was killed by a former officer there in 2020.

All around Minnesota, polls closed at eight o’clock at night, but the Omar-Samuels race results were anticipated to be delayed. It wasn’t until 9:40 p.m. on March 16 that Hennepin County—which comprises all of Minneapolis and all but a few municipalities in their district—released the results of the presidential primary.

Election results have been reported more slowly this year as a result of a legislative amendment that allowed ballots to be dropped off until 8 p.m., according to county officials, who predicted a similar schedule for Tuesday’s primary.

The victor in the predominately Democratic district will take on Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi, an American journalist from Iraq who describes herself as a secular Muslim and labels Omar as pro-Hamas and a supporter of terrorism.

White, an ally of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and imprisoned former Trump staffer Steve Bannon, surprised a lot of political watchers by defeating Fraser at the party convention for the GOP support in the U.S. Senate race.

White’s remarks on social media have drawn criticism for being vulgar, misogynistic, homophobic, and antisemitic. His unpaid child support and dubious campaign expenditures, which included $1,200 spent at a Florida strip club following his primary challenge loss to Omar in 2022, are among his legal and financial issues. He contends that by appealing to voters of color in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region and other people fed up with conventional politics, he can expand the party’s base as a Black guy.

Fraser claims that White’s combative demeanor and platform will turn off the centrists and independents required for a strong campaign against Klobuchar, who is running for a fourth term. He claimed to present a more centrist strategy, emphasizing small government, global leadership, robust defense, and fiscal conservatism. Fraser has also emphasized his 26 years as an intelligence officer in the Navy, including a combat tour in Iraq.

Neither of them has nearly as much resources as Klobuchar does. Fraser has received $68,000, while White has raised $133,000 as of late. In contrast, Klobuchar has raised over $19 million so far this cycle and has over $6 million to spend on the general election campaign. The main opposition to her was merely symbolic.

The Republican establishment and grassroots are at odds once more in the 7th District of western Minnesota. Trump supports Republican Rep. Michelle Fischbach, who is regarded as one of the most conservative members of Congress. However, Steve Boyd, a local businessman, prevented her from receiving an endorsement at the district convention by campaigning to her right on a religious platform. Fischbach has spent more over $1 million, whilst Boyd has only disclosed spending $170,000.