Ilhan Omar: Member of the "Squad," Ilhan Omar, prevails in the Minnesota Democratic primary.

 The progressive Democratic primary in Minnesota is the final one in a heated series that has seen criticism of the Gaza War. According to the Associated Press, Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has emerged victorious in the state Democratic primary for her seat. This is in contrast to the previous year, when she narrowly defeated Don Samuels in a rematch.

According to Minnesota Secretary of State tallies, Omar was ahead of Samuels 56.2% to 42.9% with results from 216 out of 217 precincts reported. On Tuesday night in Minneapolis, Omar declared to his supporters, "We run the politics of joy." "Because we are aware that fighting for your neighbors is enjoyable

We are aware that ensuring housing is a human right is a joyful task. We are aware that fighting to make health care a human right is joyful. We are aware that wanting to live in a world that is just and peaceful is joyful.

The contest on Tuesday marked the conclusion of a tense primary season for the progressive House Democratic "Squad," who have been outspoken in their denunciations of Israel's Gaza War. Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri, two other Squad members, were recently defeated by candidates backed by an abundance of pro-Israel spending. It was a low-key race for Omar.

In 2019, the two-term representative from Minnesota became the first woman of color to hold that position in the US House of Representatives. She has aligned herself with the left wing of the Democratic party while in office, supporting important progressive policies like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal while acting as the deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Omar had made a name for herself as a strong critic of Israel even before the October 7th Hamas attacks and the Israeli offensive that followed. She famously faced backlash in 2019 after declaring, in reference to contributions from the American Israel Political Affairs Committee (Aipac), that US politicians' support for Israel was "all about the Benjamins." After being accused of antisemitism, she later issued an apology for the remark.

Omar was one of the first members of Congress to demand a ceasefire following the attacks of October 7th, as Israel intensified its counteroffensive. She has expressed her solidarity with Gaza by endorsing the university encampments. Because she participated, her daughter faced suspension from Barnard College. All of these factors would seem to make Omar a prime target for pro-Israel organizations; however, former Minneapolis city council member Samuels has not received backing from Aipac or United Democracy Project, the Super Pac that is affiliated with it. UDP, on the other hand, spent over $20 million to defeat Bowman and Bush.

Director of Democratic Majority for Israel, a pro-Israel organization that also criticized Bush and Bowman, Mark Mellman, has stated that a candidate's "vulnerability" plays a significant role in determining whether or not his organization decides to get involved in a particular race. Omar is well-liked in her district; according to a recent internal campaign poll, she leads Samuels 60% to 33%. Samuels expressed his "extreme disappointment" at his defeat.

"I hoped that having a solid ground game and paying attention to the specifics of people who felt left out would be more important than having a huge financial advantage," he stated to the Associated Press. "Apparently, money influences politics a bit more than I had anticipated."