Ilhan Omar’s primary opponent Don Samuels takes firm stance in support of Biden

While some congressional Democrats express concern over how President Joe Biden may negatively affect voters’ choices down the ballot, one Democratic House hopeful is strongly proclaiming his support for the president.

Don Samuels is running to unseat Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and represent Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District. The pair will face off in the August primary after Samuels lost to the congresswoman by just 2 percentage points in the 2022 primary.

The 75-year-old previously served on the Minneapolis City Council for over a decade. Samuels said the decision to stand behind Biden is “a clear one.”

“The choice between former President Donald Trump, a convicted felon who tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power, and President Joe Biden, an aging public servant, is a clear one for me,” Samuels said in a press release. “It’s the choice between a resilient democracy and looming autocracy; the choice between restoring a woman’s right to choose and the rollback of even more settled protections; and the choice between a bigger middle class and tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals. I choose Biden.”

Omar, a member of the progressive “Squad,” has clashed with the Biden administration before on topics such as the war in Gaza and immigration policy, having called last month’s executive order putting limits on asylum-seekers ”xenophobic.” However, like Samuels, Omar has remained loyal to Biden in his bid for reelection.

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“The president is our only chance to continue to defend reproductive rights, to make sure our democracy is intact, and to make sure that this criminal does not become president of our country,” Omar said in an interview with CBS News. “We have to do everything that we can to make sure that we are pushing Biden across the finish line in November.”

Omar and other Squad members, such as Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), have been targeted by the pro-Israel super PAC American Israel Public Affairs Committee for their criticism of the Israeli government. After funneling millions of dollars into Bowman’s opponent, George Latimer, AIPAC helped ensure Bowman will not be reelected.