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‘SHAMEFUL’: OMAR RIPS LATE EFFORT BY PRO-ISRAEL DONORS TO BOOST
HER PRIMARY OPPONENT  
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Jake Johnson
August 12, 2024
Common Dreams
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_ The progressive Minnesota congresswoman said her Democratic
challenger is "actively courting Republican votes and desperately
seeking funding from AIPAC." _

Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks to press outside U.S. Capitol., AP photo

 

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar
[[link removed]] on Sunday condemned a
last-minute effort by pro-Israel donors to boost her Democratic
primary opponent in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District following
the American Israel [[link removed]] Public
Affairs Committee's successful campaigns against two other progressive
Squad members.

"It is shameful that my opponent is actively courting Republican votes
and desperately seeking funding from AIPAC
[[link removed]]," Omar wrote
[[link removed]] on social
media in response to reporting
[[link removed]] by
Jacqueline Sweet in _The Intercept_. "MN05 deserves someone who will
champion their values, not seek support from vile MAGA Republicans
like Laura Loomer and Royce White."

Sweet reported Sunday that "members of a WhatsApp group founded by
wealthy pro-Israel donors coordinated to infuse cash" into the primary
campaign of Don Samuels, a former member of Minneapolis City Council
who fell just short of defeating
[[link removed]] Omar
in 2022—a race that also attracted right-wing super PAC spending
against the incumbent.

This year's primary—in which voters of any party affiliation can
participate—will be held on Tuesday.

According to Sweet, members of the WhatsApp group—including "a
consultant who at the time was working for the Samuels campaign as
well as far-flung political donors"—recently "discussed raising
six-figure sums for a political action committee, strategies for
campaign phone banks, and an effort to marshal Republican voters to
boost Samuels in Tuesday's open primary."

"One participant in the WhatsApp group, Michael Sinensky—a wealthy
entrepreneur who on the chat justifies support for 'alt-right
Christian neo-Nazis'—said he has worked with Make a Difference MN to
raise over $120,000 for Samuels since July 31," Sweet reported, citing
messages in the group chat. "Make a Difference MN, a super PAC, was
used by AIPAC in 2022 to route $350,000 into Samuels' race."

Sweet pointed to a message posted to the group chat by Alex Minn, who
was working for the Samuels campaign at the time he sent the message.
Minn called Omar "public enemy #1 to Jews, Israel, and America" and
wrote that "we all have the power to help get rid of" the Squad.

Minn also said "he had been in touch with AIPAC," Sweet reported. "In
one case, a Samuels supporter in the group had an email to an AIPAC
regional office bounce back, and Minn offered to check the address."

On July 25, Minn wrote that the Samuels campaign "is in regular and
will continue to be in regular communication with AIPAC." (The Samuels
campaign told Sweet that Minn no longer works for the campaign.

Justice Democrats, an advocacy group that helped form a coalition
[[link removed]] aimed at combatting
AIPAC influence in the 2024 primaries, wrote
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that "AIPAC, its allies, and Don Samuels are building coalitions with
Trump donors and neo-Nazis to attack" Omar.

"As AIPAC becomes the single largest source of GOP donor spending in
Dem primaries," the group added, "Ilhan Omar is on the frontlines of
defending our democracy—the choice is easy in MN05."

Last week, Rep. Cori Bush
[[link removed]] (D-Mo.) lost her
primary [[link removed]] against a
Democratic opponent backed by millions of dollars from AIPAC's super
PAC, the United Democracy Project, which also spent big to
defeat Rep. Jamaal Bowman
[[link removed]] (D-N.Y.)
in New York's 16th Congressional District.

Bush, Bowman, and Omar have been among Congress' most vocal critics of
U.S. support for Israel's assault on the Gaza
[[link removed]] Strip, which is now in its
11th month with no end in sight. Their criticisms of the war and calls
for a permanent cease-fire—which align with the views of a strong
majority
[[link removed]] of
the U.S. public—have intensified efforts by pro-Israel donors and
organizations to deny the progressive lawmakers another term in
Congress.

_Jewish Insider_reported
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that Samuels' campaign "saw an influx of contributions" in the hours
after Bush's defeat.

But Omar "has significantly outraised Samuels
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this year, _Axios _noted
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and "has spent more than $2.7 million on TV and digital ads, per Ad
Impact, compared to the roughly $185,000 from the Samuels campaign."

According to
[[link removed]]_The
Cook Political Report_, Omar "looks like she's in a strong position to
fend off another primary challenge."

_Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams._

* Ilhan Omar
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* primary
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* Minnesota
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* AIPAC
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