MINNEAPOLIS — Nearly nine months before Minnesota's 2024 Congressional primary, Rep. Ilhan Omar and former Minneapolis City Council Member Don Samuels are already squaring off online in their 5th District DFL rematch. This time, the incumbent congresswoman is accusing her opponent of making sexist comments, while he says his statements were not specifically about her.
The war of words started Tuesday, after Wedge LIVE and Racket published an excerpt from Samuels' recent appearance on The Break Down with Brodkorb and Becky podcast, specifically highlighting Samuels saying, "You're not cute enough, you don't dress well enough, nothing about you is attractive enough to overcome that deficit," following a question that referenced Samuels' past criticism of Rep. Omar's participation in town hall events.
Omar responded in a post on X on Tuesday evening with the Racket headline, saying Samuels' statements were "beneath the dignity of any adult, let alone someone seeking public office." Omar compared Samuels' comments to "people like Donald Trump, who think they can say anything about women and get away with it," claiming Samuels was relying "on lies and sexism" rather than "adult debate." She added, "We need civility now more than ever and Don (Samuels') behavior should be alarming to anyone who agrees."
Samuels shot back with his own X thread on Wednesday, saying the quote was taken out of context.
"This is an attempt to mischaracterize a response about politicians who talk the talk versus walk the walk," Samuels posted. "In listening to my full answer, it’s abundantly clear that I’m talking broadly about politicians who value their own celebrity over the needs of their constituents."
However, Samuels then specifically addressed Omar when he added, "We shouldn’t be surprised Rep. Ilhan Omar saw herself in my response," and encouraged people to listen to the full exchange themselves.
Omar narrowly defeated Samuels in the 2022 DFL primary by two percentage points. Earlier this month, Samuels announced his intention to challenge Omar again in 2024.
Minnesota voters go to the polls for the primary on August 13, 2024.
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