Omar Fends Off Strong Challenge From Centrist Democrat

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Minneapolis, MN (AP) - Omar, who represents Minneapolis and is one of the left's leading voices in Congress, has defended calls to redirect public safety funding more into community-based programs. A moderate Democrat whose north Minneapolis base suffers from more violent crime than other parts of the city, former Minneapolis City Councilmember Don Samuels seized on the issue in the primary.

Samuels, who had argued that Omar is divisive, helped defeat a ballot question last year that sought to replace the city police department with a new public safety unit. He and others also successfully sued the city to force it to meet minimum police staffing levels called for in Minneapolis' charter.

Samuels said his narrow margin of defeat shows that Omar is beatable: “If this was the general election, no doubt that we would have won this race,” he told The Associated Press. Omar released a statement saying, “Tonight’s victory is a testament to how much our district believes in the collective values we are fighting for and how much they’re willing to do to help us overcome defeat.”