By David Pierini, Editor

A couple of percentage points separated Northsider Don Samuels from a seat in Congress two years ago. His self-described boundless optimism has him believing he will topple incumbent U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar this time around in the Aug. 13 primary.

During the last campaign, Samuels seized the public’s fear of soaring crime rates and misunderstanding of the “defund the police” movement. He labeled Omar an abolitionist and said her rhetoric around police reform was extreme and dangerous. Samuels resonated with many in District 5 who could not imagine a city without a police force.

One poll in March showed a tight race. The crisis in Gaza, some political experts say, could give Omar needed traction as she seeks a fourth, two-year term.

Omar has been a leading critic of Israel’s occupation of Gaza and her comments in the past have drawn death threats, congressional calls for censorship and accusations she is antisemitic.

But after a terrorist attack last October in Israel by Hamas and a brutal Israeli response in Gaza that has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, public opinion in the progressive district indicates growing support for Omar’s view of the crisis.

Omar won the DFL endorsement on the first ballot in May after a brief debate on several issues, including the U.S. government’s ironclad support for Israel.

“We are looking at over 34,000 children and women innocently slaughtered… a population of 1.4 million people who have nowhere to go… are looking at forced starvation and famine and are now being bombarded,” Omar said at the convention. “There is over 80 percent of infrastructure destruction. There is no way for us as citizens of this country to continue to allow our tax dollars to pay for the bombs that are destroying a civilian population.”

Samuels' call for a nuanced response to the crisis garnered light applause.

“This is a very complex situation,” he said. “International experts have not been able to solve this crisis. We have to greet each other face to face with the reality on both sides and come together… for a two-state salutation with dignity.”

The Omar-Samuels showdowns make for good political theater. There are accusations, mudslinging, salacious headlines, and awkward social media posts.

She called him a “Trojan horse” for the Republicans; he claims she has used her three terms in office to divide the public and grow her status as a global celebrity. Recent news of questionable business deals involving her husband has added a talking point to his campaign.

Personality clashes aside, Samuels and Omar agree on many issues that are part of a progressive Democratic brand, such as universal health care, reproductive health rights for women, the Equal Rights Amendment and a ban on assault-style weapons. Samuels said on his campaign website that he supports the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to hold police accountable for excessive – a bill co-sponsored by Omar.

The differences are in approach and style. Omar projects the aura of an uncompromising progressive; Samuels says he’s a pragmatic progressive.

Samuels game for a rematch

Samuels tries to rise above Omar on the issue of temperament. Like many conservative critics, the former city councilman and Minneapolis Public School board member criticizes Omar’s tough talk as divisive.

Samuels also has a history of controversial remarks. But he said he senses “hunger” in the voters for a collegial representative who will do more to reach across the aisle and work through issues standing on common ground.

“I am an optimist, and it is the right time to be an optimist,” Samuels said in an interview with North News. “You have to be an optimist to understand that the movement of transformation is painful and often chaotic. There is no better time… than a crisis for true transformation to take place, and it’s a time for hopeful, positive people to step up and claim that space of crisis.”

Samuel’s campaign continues to emphasize public safety. He supports federal funding that helps communities pay for policing, believing accountability and public safety are not mutually exclusive.

Other planks of his platform include:

Affordable housing for all. This includes renters tax credits, giving tax breaks for developers who commit to setting aside deeply affordable units for low-income renters and funding to communities to expand shelter services.
Better education. Supports tuition-free community colleges and vocational schools; investments in early learning; proper funding for schools, especially for special education; targeted loan forgiveness for teachers of color and invest in schools that hire and retain teachers of color.
Legislation for safer technology that protects data and children. This includes prohibiting tech companies from using data to create algorithms for content not requested by users. Require companies to disclose how their artificial intelligence tools work and ensure they are safe and not discriminatory.
“Bold” climate action. Supports legislation that ensures environmental justice for all, transitions away from fossil fuels, and holds corrupt polluters responsible.

If elected, Samuels said he would spend 30 minutes each day meeting privately with a different member of Congress.

“It’s going to be Democrats and Republicans until I go through all 400,” Samuels said. “I want to discuss common values. I want to meet everybody at their humanity, so that when we come into Congress to argue Universal Healthcare or a woman’s right to choose, that person is looking at Don Samuels as a human being who cares about them. That’s what makes consensus. It is relationships. People are willing to compromise if they feel safe knowing that their compromise won’t be thrown in their faces.

“It’s not a bad way to start.”

Endorsements for Samuels as of press time include the United Steelworkers and the International Union of Operating Engineers.

Omar, the incumbent

Omar’s office did not respond to a request by North News for an interview.

Congressional records show Omar as productive among the younger members of Congress. In her five years, she has introduced more than 100 bills (co-sponsored more than 1,200), had eight separate bills or amendments signed into law, and directed some $54 million to community projects in the district.

According to her website, she fought for student debt relief and credits her progressive colleagues for pressing President Biden to cancel debt for about 4 million borrowers.

She was a leading voice supporting the Inflation Reduction Act because of the law’s goals for climate control with renewal energy and ambitious pollution reduction goals over the next five years.

Last year, the League of Conservation Voters gave Omar a perfect score for her votes and work on climate change action. In May, she was part of a group of lawmakers introducing legislation to end billions of dollars in federal subsidies to fossil fuel companies

Other goals and legislative actions include:

Increased access for child nutrition. Introduced legislation during the pandemic to bring free meals to students without the stigma of proving financial need.
Immigration. Supported repealing the Muslim ban; co-sponsored the Dream Act for a pathway to citizenship. Was lauded by the Huffington Post for her office’s work helping “hundreds” get work permits, helping with family reunifications and assisting with refugee cases.
Workers Rights. Co-sponsored bills to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025, paycheck fairness that closes the gender wage gap, eliminate forced arbitration and protect a worker’s right to join a union.
Foreign policy. Introduced a package of bills that would overhaul foreign policy by centering human rights. Founded the U.S. Africa Policy Working Group. Co-sponsored a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. She condemned both sides but was clear in denouncing Israel's “atrocities committed” against Palestinians in Gaza.

Her stand on Israel has landed her in hot water on both aisles and among many Jewish constituents. She has been accused of antisemitism and admits to speaking gaffs when discussing Israel and Palestine.

“I feel deeply that all forms of hate are connected – I cannot speak out against Islamophobia if I am not also speaking out against the dangerous rise in anti-Semitism,” she said in an apology on her website. “The sad truth is that so many threads of anti-Semitism are woven into our society, and I unintentionally played into harmful tropes that target Jewish people. Fighting anti-Semitism includes accounting for and learning from my own mistakes and being a better ally. “

Two other Democrats, Abena McKenzie and Nate Schluter, filed to run in the primary.

Omar’s Northside opponent is back for another DFL primary battle