All Four “Squad” Members Win Primaries as Ilhan Omar Fends Off Well-Funded Challenge

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar won her Democratic primary race on Tuesday, all but guaranteeing her a second term in the House, The New York Times reports.

Omar, the first Somali-American and African-born person to be elected to Congress, fended off a handful of challengers on Tuesday, besting second-place well-funded Antone Melton-Meaux by more than 15 points.

“In Minnesota, we know that organized people will always beat organized money,” Ms. Omar wrote on Twitter. “Tonight, our movement didn’t just win. We earned a mandate for change. Despite outside efforts to defeat us, we once again broke turnout records. Despite the attacks, our support has only grown.”

Opponent got plenty of cash:

Melton-Meaux got a lot of financial support to unseat the controversial freshman congresswoman, who is one of the most progressive members of Congress and has been outspoken about human rights issues in the Middle East.

A recent analysis showed that Melton-Meaux outraised Omar by about 600%, with about 20% of his big-dollar donations coming from pro-Israel PACs.

But progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and centrists like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently swooped in to help back Omar’s bid.

All four “Squad” members win:

Despite being constantly vilified in national media, all four members of the “Squad” are headed back to Congress for second terms (all ran in very blue districts, effectively guaranteeing the primary winner wins in the general election).

Ocasio-Cortez cruised to a win over CNBC contributor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera 74-18.

Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib easily defeated prominent Black leader Brenda Jones 66-34.

Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley is unopposed in her upcoming primary.

 

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