The ultra-liberal members of “The Squad” banded together as an informal wing of the Democratic Party in an effort to impose progressive measures on the country that were so far to the left that even moderate party members recoiled in horror. Recent developments, however, have shaken the foundations of that radical group. For example, Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was recently censored by the House for making insensitive comments on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. A new analysis, however, suggests that in 2024, one of her allies will face a formidable opponent.
Don Samuels, a former member of the Democratic city council in Minneapolis, officially ran for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district on November 12. The role has been held by Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar (R-MN) since 2019. During an interview with WCCO, Samuels announced his candidacy for Omar’s seat.
According to Samuels’s interview with Blois Olson, Omar has become her greatest adversary. She “hasn’t helped herself,” he declared. Samuels claimed he had the backing of “some folks” who loved him and his platform. He went so far as to say, “even after the last race,” referring to his unsuccessful 2022 quest for the Democratic nomination for her seat, that the progressive lawmaker had made multiple “missteps” since taking office.
Many observers of politics were taken aback by Samuel’s strong showing in the 2022 primaries. He received approximately 130,000 votes, or 48.2%, coming in second to Omar’s 50.3%. According to Samuel, he has a better chance of defeating Omar this time because he declared his candidacy nine months before the primaries on August 13, 2024. In 2022, he entered the contest in early April, giving him barely five months to campaign.
Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District is a plus-30 Democratic seat according to the Cook Political Report’s Partisan Voting Index for 2023. That’s equivalent to a 30 percentage point increase in Democrats over the national average. It’s also a strong indication that the Democratic primary winner in 2024 will end up representing that seat in Congress.
