Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who is known for criticizing Israel and deepening divisions within the Democratic Party on the Gaza conflict, won her primary on 13th August 2024. Despite being successful, ‘the squad’, a group of highly liberal lawmakers in the House, has encountered a difficult summer.
Jamaal Bowman from New York and Cori Bush from Missouri, who are part of the same group, experienced defeats in the primary elections in June and August as a result of strong campaigning by pro-Israel groups. During her campaign for a fourth term in Congress, Ms. Omar, aged 41, invested a considerable amount of money compared to her three opponents, including Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis City Council member. In the 2022 contest, he came close to beating her by only 2,500 votes. Unlike many other primary races, Ms. Omar’s drive did not get significant funding from sources beyond her district.
In the year 2018, in the midst of Donald J. Trump’s presidency, Ms. Omar was elected to the House as part of a group of women of color. This assemblage is made up of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York, Rashida Tlaib from Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts.
In 2019, Mr. Trump caused a stir saying that Ms. Omar and three other ladies should return to their countries of origin, even though she was the only one not born in the United States.
Ilhan Omar was born in Somalia and is one of two Muslim women in the House, has faced backlash for her stance on Israel and backing of Palestine. In 2023, House Republicans voted strictly based on party affiliation to oust her from the Foreign Affairs Committee because of her past comments about Israel, which were condemned as antisemitic.
She attracted backlash after suggesting that some Jewish students supported genocide while showing support for pro-Palestinian protesters at a Columbia University rally in April. One scholar, along with her daughter, was suspended for participating in the encampment.