The so-called House Squad appears to be in jeopardy, in large part because pro-Israel groups have contributed millions to back his primary challengers.
Two members of the progressive faction have lost primaries so far: Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York.
Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar could be next, but pro-Israel groups haven’t put the same momentum behind her opponent as they did in attacking other Squad members.
Omar faces Minneapolis City Councilman Don Samuels in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Samuels came close to defeating Omar in 2022, losing by fewer than 2,500 votes.
Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar could be next in line for the vote, but pro-Israel groups haven’t put the same impetus behind her opponent as they did in attacking other Squad members.
The pro-Israel group AIPAC pledged to spend $100 million on campaigns to defeat candidates who did not support its cause, but has largely stayed away from the Omar-Samuels race, even though the Minnesota congresswoman has made no secret of her preference for the Palestinian cause.
Samuels said in an interview last year that he believes he could have won the 2022 race if he had AIPAC’s support.
It is unclear whether Israeli groups are staying away because of the polls or a belief that Samuels is not supportive enough of the nation.
The Samuels campaign released a poll in the spring that showed Omar with less than 50 percent support among Democratic voters.
When voters heard Samuels’ address, Omar was leading by only 41 percent to 48 percent. But a recent poll by Omar’s campaign showed her leading by 27 points, 60 percent to 33 percent.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, House Democrats, who are usually united, have been divided over the issue of Israel. Samuels says Omar bears much of the blame.
Omar faces Minneapolis City Councilman Don Samuels in Tuesday’s Democratic primary
“This is due to a very immature interpretation of reality that tends to be dualistic,” Samuels told DailyMail.com.
“There are good and bad people, there are those in favor of the police and those who do not have it, there are those in favor of genocide and those who are against it.”
Missouri Democrat Cori Bush, a close ally of Omar, lost her own primary to Wesley Bell by six points last Tuesday.
“Congratulations, Wesley! It’s clear that Democrats across the country are ready to move on from those who put politics before people. In just one week, Minnesota’s 5th District has the opportunity to do the same. To all the people of Minneapolis and the suburbs, I look forward to earning your support,” Samuels wrote on X after his loss.
New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman also lost his primary to a more moderate Democrat earlier this summer.
Omar is a favorite target of Republicans. In 2019, she was forced to apologize for saying AIPAC and Jews were trying to buy influence: “It’s all about money, baby.” This year, Republicans reacted with dismay when she said some Jewish students are “for genocide.”
“I think it’s really unfortunate that people don’t care about the fact that all Jewish children should be safe and that we shouldn’t have to tolerate anti-Semitism or intolerance toward all Jewish students, whether they’re pro-genocide or anti-genocide,” she said.
In January, House Republican Leader Tom Emmer demanded an ethics investigation into reports that Omar said she was “Somalia first.”
Bush had faced millions of dollars in outside money thrown at his campaign by pro-Israeli groups that opposed his staunch pro-Palestinian stance.
“Wesley Bell’s victory and Cori Bush’s defeat underscore what we’ve seen in elections across the country and throughout this election cycle: being pro-Israel is not just wise politics, it’s smart politics,” said Mark Mellman, chairman of the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, in a statement.
Like Bush’s race against Bell, Bowman’s race in New York revolved around one key issue: the war between Israel and Hamas.
Bowman, a fellow staffer (at least for now, before leaving Congress this winter), fiercely defended the Palestinians and condemned Israel’s actions as “genocide.”
His reward for repeatedly attacking the Jewish nation’s wartime conduct: a pro-Israel SuperPAC that hounds him.
AIPAC, a pro-Israel political group, spent heavily against Bowman, pouring millions and millions into the campaign of a local county executive.
With the group’s support, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a moderate Democrat, cruised to an easy victory in the primary, garnering more than 59 percent of the vote, compared to Bowman’s 40 percent.
Bush was the second member of the squad to be ejected from the Capitol earlier this week.
Bowman was expelled from Congress, the first of the team to lose his job.
Bowman had also made headlines by pulling the fire alarm during a high-stakes House vote and by getting into a rowdy fight with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in the halls of the Capitol.
Bush was the first member of Congress to call for a ceasefire nine days after Hamas attacked Israel in October. She insists Israel is guilty of genocide in the conflict that has left some 40,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Bell, for his part, has said Hamas is “openly genocidal” and Israel is “just the gateway” for the threat the terrorist group poses to the United States and other Western nations.
He told the Washington Post “It is important for our national security that we support our sister democracies and oppose terrorist states, and Hamas is a terrorist state.”
