Sen. Bernie Sanders, (D) Vermont, traveled to Minneapolis on Saturday to support Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, (D) Minnesota, in her re-election campaign against Don Samuels in the August primary.

Samuels, a former Minneapolis City Council and Minneapolis School Board member, lost the Democratic ticket to Omar by less than 2,500 votes in 2022. A close race is expected again in this rematch.

In an interview with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS ahead of the rally at Thomas Edison High School in Northeast Minneapolis, Sanders called the congresswoman vying for another term “one of the outstanding members of the United States Congress.”

Asked why he supports Omar over Samuels, Sanders responded, “Well, I don’t know the other candidate, but this is what I’m saying, I’ve worked with Ilhan on a number of issues.”

“Issue number one, she is a former nutritionist, and she understands how important good quality food is for kids. And she believes, as I believe — we have introduced legislation to deal with this — that no child should go hungry, that we have universal school lunches in America. That’s a very important issue.”

Speaking at the rally, Omar reminded the audience that she was once a student in that very high school, before she took a jab at Samuels related to education policy.

“He is a strong supporter of privatizing education and said his kids will not darken the doors of Minneapolis Public Schools,” she began.

Samuels pushed back against that claim in an interview after the rally, saying private school was the best option for his children living in North Minneapolis, but he’s “not for the privatization of education.”

“I’m obsessed with education,” he continued. “That’s why I was on the school board.”

Asked how he planned to compete with the national support his opponent received on Saturday, Samuels pointed back to the close race in 2022.

“It’s a much different campaign this time,” he said. “It’s a tidal wave and a response to a negligent type of leadership that is absent during the rest of the term and shows up at campaign times with celebrity support. We have the people.”

Sanders and other speakers also used the rally for Omar to call attention to the presidential election, which is top of mind—especially in Minnesota, where Gov. Tim Walz remains on the short list of candidates for the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Asked to comment on the upcoming decision, Sanders said, “I’m not going to get involved in making a choice. What I will say though, is I’ve been impressed by Tim Walz’s ability, not only to communicate to the working people of Minnesota, but to also be an advocate for them.”

“I think he could be a great Vice President. Yes.”

About 750 people came out in support of Omar’s campaign today, according to a spokesperson for Sanders.

The Minnesota primary is August 13.