Ilhan Omar Endorsement Bombs as Sanders Loses in Minnesota
If Tuesday night was bad for Bernie Sanders, it was worse for “the squad.”
The hard-left progressives who have become media darlings thanks to the photogenic savvy of New York’s Sanders-supporting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came up empty as their preferred candidates failed in both Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Minnesota and Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s Massachusetts.
But Omar’s failure was the headline.
The one-time refugee from Somalia who now commands outsized media attention as a first-term congresswoman from Minneapolis is an enthusiastic supporter of Sanders, and has told her followers the self-described socialist from Vermont would “fight against Western imperialism.”
But when push came to shove on Super Tuesday, Omar’s enthusiasm couldn’t produce a victory for Sanders in Minnesota — thanks, no doubt, to Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s decision Monday to end her own campaign for the presidency and throw her backing to former Vice President Joe Biden.
The result? Minnesota, a state where Biden had a “minuscule state operation” went for Biden and against Sanders by a decisive margin of about 39 percent to 30 percent of the vote, according to the online Minnesota news outlet MinnPost.
The Washington Examiner’s Tiana Lowe summarized the situation nicely:
“Since getting elected to the Minnesota statehouse in 2016, Omar has been lionized by the media, and after winning her snap bid for Keith Ellison’s congressional seat in 2018, she’s been nothing short of revered. After suffering a heart attack in October of last year, Sanders relied on the endorsement of Omar and fellow socialist superstar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, with much of the political press attributing his rebound in the polls to their support.
“Despite months of campaigning, Omar couldn’t put him over the top in the state or in her home turf. Biden beat Sanders in Hennepin County, which houses Minneapolis and Omar’s district. He also won Ramsey County, which includes the other Twin City of St. Paul, where the Monday night rally with Omar was held.”
That’s failure by any definition — and social media was watching:
Damn, Ilham Omar couldn’t lock it down for Bernie in Minnesota.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) March 4, 2020
She sealed the deal for Biden. She’s a terrible person and Minnesotans are embarrassed….finally..
— SonofGary ?? (@GarySonsof) March 4, 2020
When the state that elected Jesse Ventura and Al Franken reject Bernie Sanders, that should tell you something.
— Stosh126 (@stosh126) March 4, 2020
Bernie paraded Ilhan Omar around the state and Biden didn’t even look at it. If Biden wins Minnesota this is going to be especially sweet. https://t.co/eTdU9JVmAF
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) March 4, 2020
This one, from conservative author and commentator David Reaboi, had high hopes for what the November election could bring — four more years for President Donald Trump and a victory over Omar by GOP challenger Dalia al-Aqidi, whose family came to the United States from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in 1988.
Ilhan Omar is an electoral loser. She’s scandal-plagued and a headache for her constituents. @realDonaldTrump will take Minnesota, and @Dalia4Congress will oust Omar. https://t.co/n8gCqP07Gg
— David Reaboi (@davereaboi) March 4, 2020
“The squad” — Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley and Michigan’s foul-mouthed Rep. Rashida Tlaib — might be the most overhyped political development of the 116th Congress. While the media love to highlight every aspect of their lives, the actual political strength of its members has always been questionable.
After Tuesday night, where Omar failed to deliver success to Sanders in a state where he lost to an opponent who’d barely campaigned, that question is answered.
Combined with Pressley’s inability to help Sen. Elizabeth Warren win her own home state of Massachusetts against Biden on Tuesday, it’s clear the squad’s power is greatly exaggerated. And that could be the beginning of the end of the constant presence of these four annoying women in the public eye.
In politics, endless praise in a left-leaning media is one thing, but it’s no substitute for actual performance at the ballot box. Nothing succeeds like success, of course, but nothing hurts like a weakness exposed.
As bad as the night was for Sanders, it was worse for “the squad.” Their weakness has been exposed for the whole political world to see.
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