How radical Minnesota Squad Rep. Ilhan Omar could be the NEXT progressive booted out of Congress

The so-called Squad of the House appears to be in jeopardy, especially since pro-Israel groups have invested millions in their opponents.

Two members of the progressive faction have lost the primaries so far: Reps. Cori Bush, Mo., and Jamaal Bowman, N.Y.

Illinois Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democratic representative from Minnesota, could be next, but pro-Israel groups have not given the same support to her opponent as they have to other members of the Squad.

Omar will face Minneapolis City Councilman Don Samuels in the Democratic primary on Tuesday.

Samuels nearly defeated Omar in 2022, but lost by fewer than 2,500 votes.

The pro-Israel group AIPAC pledged to pour $100 million into races to defeat candidates who didn’t support their cause. But they largely avoided Omar-Samuel’s race, despite the Minnesota congresswoman making no secret of her preference for the Palestinian cause.

Samuels said in an interview last year that he believes he could have won the 2022 race if he had AIPAC’s support.

It is unclear whether Israeli groups are holding back because of polls or because they believe Samuels does not provide enough support for the nation.

In the spring, Samuels’ campaign released a poll showing Omar had less than 50 percent of Democratic voters behind him.

When voters heard Samuels’ message, Omar led by just 41 percent to 48 percent. But a recent poll conducted for the Omar campaign showed her ahead by 27 points, 60 percent to 33 percent.

Since the war in Gaza broke out, the usually united Democrats in the House of Representatives have been divided over the issue of Israel. Samuels says Omar bears much of the blame.

Omar will face Minneapolis City Councilman Don Samuels in the Democratic primary on Tuesday

“It comes from a very immature interpretation of reality, which tends to be dualistic,” Samuels told DailyMail.com.

“You have good guys and bad guys. You have pro-police and no-police. You have pro-genocide and anti-genocide.”

Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat and a close ally of Omar, lost her own primary last Tuesday by six points to Wesley Bell.

“Congratulations, Wesley! It’s clear that Democrats across the country are ready to go beyond those who put politics before people. In just one week, MN CD5 has the chance to do the same. To everyone in Minneapolis and the suburbs, I hope to earn your support,” Samuels wrote on X after her loss.

Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York lost his primary earlier this summer to a more moderate Democrat.

Omar is a favorite target of Republicans. In 2019, she was forced to apologize for saying AIPAC and Jewish people were trying to buy influence: “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby.” This year, Republicans were shocked when she said some Jewish students were “pro-genocide.”

“I think it’s a shame that people don’t care that all Jewish children should be safe, and that we don’t have to tolerate anti-Semitism or bigotry toward Jewish students, whether they’re for or against genocide,” she said.

In January, House Republican Leader Tom Emmer demanded an ethics investigation into reports that Omar had said she would put “Somalia first.”

Bush faced millions in outside money poured into her race by pro-Israel groups opposed to her outspoken pro-Palestinian stance.

“Wesley Bell’s victory and Cori Bush’s defeat underscore what we’ve seen in elections across the country and throughout this election cycle: Being pro-Israel is not just sound policy, it’s smart politics,” said Mark Mellman, chairman of the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, in a statement.

Like Bush’s race against Bell, Bowman’s race in New York revolved around a major issue: the war between Israel and Hamas.

Bowman, a fellow Squad member (at least for now, before he leaves Congress this winter), fiercely defended the Palestinians and condemned the Israelis’ actions as “genocide.”

His reward for his repeated attacks on the Jewish people during the war: a pro-Israel SuperPAC that descended on him.

AIPAC, a pro-Israel political group, spent a huge amount of money fighting Bowman, pumping millions into the campaign of a local administrator.

With the group’s support, George Latimer, a moderate Democrat and Westchester County executive, won an easy primary victory, taking more than 59 percent of the vote, compared to Bowman’s 40 percent.

Bush was the second member of the Squad to be ejected from the Capitol earlier this week

Bowman was expelled from Congress — the first in the Squad to lose his job

Bowman also made headlines when he pulled a fire alarm during a key House vote and by loudly brawling with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) in the hallways of the Capitol.

Bush was the first member of Congress to demand a ceasefire nine days after Hamas’ October attack on Israel, insisting Israel is guilty of genocide in the conflict that has killed some 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Bell, on the other hand, has said that Hamas is “openly genocidal” and that Israel is “merely the front door” of the threat the terrorist group poses to the US and other Western countries.

He told the Washington Post It was ‘important for our national security that we stand with our fellow democracies and that we stand against terrorist states, and Hamas is a terrorist state.’