Progressive House members known as “the Squad” are gearing up for their final primary test in Minnesota following a challenging summer of primaries. Rep. Ilhan Omar is facing the ballot in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District next Tuesday, shortly after Rep. Cori Bush of the Squad lost the Democratic nomination in Missouri. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, another Squad member, was defeated in his primary in June. The remaining Squad member, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, is running unopposed.
Omar seems to be in a stronger position compared to Bowman and Bush, who encountered well-funded opponents and significant spending by United Democracy Project during their primaries. United Democracy Project has not launched ads against Omar in this election cycle. Omar has improved her fundraising substantially, reporting a total of $6.2 million raised in the current pre-primary financial report, compared to $2.3 million spent in the previous cycle. Her main challenger, Don Samuels, has raised about $1.4 million.
In a competitive race, Democratic Rep. Angie Craig in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District is facing nominal opposition in the primary. On the Republican side, former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab, endorsed by former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, is the frontrunner.
In the Senate race, Democratic incumbent Amy Klobuchar is expected to secure her party’s nomination easily, having raised about $19 million. On the Republican side, former NBA player Royce White, who has aligned himself with conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones and Steve Bannon, leads in fundraising but faces modest competition.
The Minnesota state primary is scheduled for Tuesday with open primaries allowing any registered voter to participate in any party’s primary. The 2nd Congressional District includes a mix of suburbs and rural areas, while the 7th Congressional District is predominantly rural. The Associated Press will announce winners in 35 races, including the U.S. Senate primaries and other federal and state contests.
Voter turnout and advance voting have been significant, with nearly 61,000 ballots cast before the primary day. Turnout data from past elections suggests varied participation levels among different districts. The AP will declare winners only when trailing candidates have no path to victory and will cover developments like concessions and victory declarations. Recounts may be requested for close races based on specific criteria.
In previous elections, vote-counting generally concludes in the early morning hours following the closing of polls. The AP will continue to provide coverage and updates on the election throughout the counting process.
