Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, is on the ballot for the upcoming primary elections in Minnesota. One of the most famous progressive politicians, will face a centrist rival in the polls for Congressional district 5.

Ilhan Omar, who has often voiced support for the “defund the police” campaign, will face Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis City Council member who has made rising crime an issue in the race.

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Samuels’ north Minneapolis base suffers from more violent crime than other parts of the city, and the moderate Democrat helped defeat a ballot question that sought to replace the city police department with a new public safety unit. Omar has defended calls to redirect public safety funding more into community-based programs.

Samuels and others also successfully sued the city to force it to meet minimum police staffing levels called for in Minneapolis’ charter. Samuels says Omar, one of the leading voices in the national progressive movement, is divisive. He’s attracted big bucks to his campaign, though Omar as the incumbent has a significant cash advantage.

Omar, who crushed a similar primary challenge two years ago from a well-funded but lesser-known opponent than Samuels, has said she expects to win easily.

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The primary elections so far in the United States have been favourable for other progressive politicians. Representative Cori Bush of Missouri and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan won the respective polls. New York’s Alexandria Ocasio Cortez will be up for election later this month.

Four other US states will host their primary elections on August 9, 2022, which is expected to be one of the final showdowns before the midterm elections in November. Polls are scheduled in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont and Connecticut.