‘We don’t need someone distracted with Twitter’: Ilhan Omar fights off tough primary challenge
The Minnesota freshman and "Squad" member faces criticism that she’s too divisive to effectively represent her district.
“We don't need someone distracted with Twitter fights,” said primary challenger Antone Melton-Meaux, who pledges to focus on local issues and avoid the spotlight. “I don't want to be a celebrity. I want to serve the people, and people are tired of the politics of division and distraction.”
The first Black Muslim woman to serve in Congress, Omar has built an image as a progressive champion who isn’t afraid to stand up to Trump. The president, in turn, has frequently singled out the freshman lawmaker, disparaging her as an anti-Semite, an “America-hating socialist” and falsely claiming that she publicly supports al Qaeda.
A Somali refugee who is the first member of Congress to wear a hijab, Omar was attacked in xenophobic terms by Trump in 2019 when he encouraged her and other members of the Squad to “go back” to where they came from. As a result, supporters rallied around Omar in the district, which is the most strongly Democratic in the state.
Yet many constituents have been alienated by her comments about Israel. Omar has been accused of anti-Semitism after suggesting support for Israel was popular due to campaign donations, that pro-Israel lawmakers had dual allegiance to both the U.S. and Israel and Israel had “hypnotized the world.”
“Rep. Omar's past comments invoked age-old anti-Semitic tropes and rhetoric that echoed and brought about the nightmares of persecution,” said Rabbi Avi Olitzky, who leads a congregation in the district.
Olitzky threw his support behind Melton-Meaux, who has spoken out about Omar’s comments about Israel, and said the challenger brings desperately needed conflict resolution skills to the political climate.
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