Opponents line up amid criticism, but Omar stands by views on Israel and cease-fire
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has three opponents lining up to run against her in a Democratic primary so far after narrowly winning a primary last year, but she’s not concerned.
“I feel good. … I believe my constituents appreciate the whole governing model that we’ve led with,” Omar told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS in an interview recorded for “At Issue” that will air Sunday morning. “The excellent constituent services that we provide. The fact that we worked really hard to deliver back $40 million in earmarks for projects like Native American Community Health Center.”
But her opponents and critics in Congress say she’s out of step with voters in the 5th District who see her votes against a resolution supporting Israel and against aid to Israel as anti-Israel. Omar pushes back saying she’s pro-peace and pro-cease-fire.
“I think I am in lockstep with my constituents,” she says. “A majority of the 5th has been out asking for a cease-fire. They’ve shown up at our offices. They have been calling our offices.”
But her opponents disagree, including Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis City Council member and school board member who lost by just 2 percentage points to Omar in a primary last year.
“She has alienated and even frightened members of the Jewish community and beyond and people are clearly concerned,” Samuels said on “At Issue” last week.
Omar pushes back on criticism claiming she’s anti-Israel.
“It’s incredibly heartbreaking to watch people say, ‘Let Israel do what it wants to do,’ meaning, ‘Let it level Gaza. Let it destroy 2.3 million lives whether they kill them or ethnically cleanse them.'”
The Israeli government and its supporters say they’re not trying to destroy all Palestinians, they’re just trying to destroy Hamas, which the U.S. and most Western governments consider a terrorist organization.
You can see the entire interview with Omar at 10 a.m. Sunday on “At Issue with Tom Hauser.”