Ilhan Omar Defeated Democrat Who Was Allegedly ‘in Regular Communication’ With AIPAC 

Publicly, the pro-Israel PAC that’s poured millions into unseating Congress members who have called for a ceasefire in Gaza stayed out of Omar’s race. 

By Kylie Cheung  |  August 14, 2024 | 2:32pm
Photo: Getty Images/Don Samuels Campaign Politics Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Omar Defeated Democrat Who Was Allegedly ‘in Regular Communication’ With AIPAC 

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) handily won her primary on Tuesday, defeating her opponent, former Minneapolis councilman Don Samuels, by roughly 14 points. In 2022, Omar defeated Samuels by just two points. Her victory comes after a summer of devastating losses for members of the progressive “Squad,” like Reps. Cori Bush (MO) last week and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) in June, after AIPAC spent over $20 million between their two races. Since October, the pro-Israel PAC that’s backed Israel’s horrific war on Gaza has made a point of strategically targeting Congress members who have called for a ceasefire—while simultaneously funding the campaigns of anti-abortion extremists and insurrectionists. 

Omar has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and was one of the first to back a ceasefire. Nonetheless, AIPAC (which poured $350,000 into Samuel’s 2022 campaign against Omar, while an AIPAC-aligned PAC spent $2.5 million against her in 2020) didn’t get involved in their race this cycle—at least publicly.

Over the weekend, the Intercept reported on a leaked WhatsApp chat called “Zionists for Don Samuels,” where a consultant working for Samuels’ campaign told members in July, “The campaign is in regular and will continue to be in regular communication with AIPAC. Several members of my campaign staff, myself included, have intimate relationships with active and Former executive member of AIPAC.” (As the Intercept notes, campaign finance laws “prohibit coordination between candidates’ campaigns and outside spending groups like super PACs.”) The WhatsApp chat also revealed a coordinated strategy among Samuels’ supporters to court Republican voters and convince them to change their voter registration to vote for Samuels in the primary. This strategy was similarly deployed by Bhavini Patel, a pro-Israel Democrat who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) in April, leaning hard into Lee’s support for a ceasefire and criticisms of Israel.

In the days after Bush’s Aug. 6 defeat, Samuels’ campaign saw an influx of donations. “We had about $200,000 dollars in random donations after Cori [Bush] lost,” he said on Tuesday, ahead of the election. In the leaked WhatsApp chat, the consultant who boasted about the campaign’s “regular communication” with AIPAC claimed they raised $100,000 in the first 24 hours after Bush’s defeat. Nonetheless, Omar overall outraised Samuels by a significant margin, raising $1.6 million in the quarter that ended on June 30 compared to Samuels’ $535,000.

The last-minute influx of cash ultimately wasn’t a substitute for millions from AIPAC or the significant ad buys the PAC unleashed against Bush and Bowman. Politico also stressed that the PAC has been deliberate in which Democratic primaries it got involved in, and didn’t regard members like Lee and Omar as vulnerable. Speaking to Politico on Tuesday, Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which endorsed Omar, cited her establishment backing and the heavily progressive makeup of the district. “No amount of money” was going to help Samuels, he said. 

Bowman and Bush’s opponents, George Latimer and Wesley Bell, respectively, ran ads specifically avoiding the topic of Israel and its war on Gaza, likely aware of strong polling in favor of a ceasefire. By contrast, Samuels’ campaign focused on Omar’s support for Palestinian rights and accused her of antisemitism for calling Israel’s genocide against Palestinians a genocide.

“Ilhan Omar’s victory is a reflection of the progressive leadership that Democratic voters want to see in Congress when their elections are not turned into auctions for the highest billionaire bidders,” Alexandra Rojas, executive director of the progressive PAC Justice Democrats, said in a statement shared with Jezebel. Rojas also referenced Bush and Bowman’s recent defeats, arguing this election cycle “has proven clearly that right-wing interests and MAGA megadonors see the Squad as an existential threat to their extremist agenda.” 

“In nearly every primary this cycle, our progressive champions in Congress faced the organized efforts of AIPAC, Republican megadonors, right-wing Super PACs, and corporate interests who were united in their desire to drag our democracy through the mud to protect their own self-interests and profits,” Rojas said.

About half of donors who have given to Democratic candidates via AIPAC this cycle have also given to Republicans since 2020. AIPAC has endorsed over 200 anti-abortion Congressional Republicans this cycle alone. Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party, called Omar’s win a “decisive victory” and “a blow to the Republican donors backing her opponent” in a statement shared with Jezebel.

In a victory speech addressing her supporters on Tuesday evening, Omar said her campaign has run on “the politics of joy” and said she’s “honored to represent the people who welcomed me and my family as refugees to this incredible state.” But she also addressed the smears against her: “This campaign has been one of the ugliest, most disgusting campaigns against me that I have ever witnessed,” she said. “I hope they reflect in the shameful way they decided to divide our district and the incredible people we are grateful to represent.”

 
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