Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the progressive House members known as the “Squad” and a sharp critic of how Israel has conducted the war in Gaza, is trying to avoid the fate of two of her closest allies when Minnesota holds its primary elections Tuesday. Omar is defending her Minneapolis-area 5th District seat against a repeat challenge from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, a more centrist liberal whom she only narrowly defeated in the 2022 primary. In the main statewide race on the ballot, conservative populist and former NBA player Royce White is facing a more conventional GOP candidate, Navy veteran Joe Fraser, for the right to challenge Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar.