'Squad' member Ilhan Omar holds off primary challenge

Democratic congresswoman and member of the "Squad", Ilhan Omar, has fended off a primary election challenge in Minnesota, according to US media projections.

Ms Omar faced three challengers in the primary contest to determine the party's nominee and will now continue on to the November election in the state's solidly Democratic-leaning 5th District.

The race had been closely watched after successful primary challengers took down two fellow members of the "Squad" - a group of progressive Democrats who have been among the most vocal critics in Congress of Israel's handling of the war in Gaza.

It was one of several primary races on Tuesday in Connecticut, Wisconsin, Vermont and Minnesota.

With 99% of the votes counted on Tuesday night, the Associated Press reported that Ms Omar won with 67,524 votes, or by just over 56%.

Coming in second was Don Samuels, a former member of the Minneapolis City Council who had also narrowly lost to Ms Omar in 2022.

He received just under 49% of the votes on Tuesday.

Earlier this month Rep Cori Bush of Missouri lost her primary race and in June Jamaal Bowman in New York was also defeated - both after pro-Israel groups poured millions into those races backing other Democrats.

The pair were elected in 2020 amid a year marked by racial justice protests after the killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man.

A Super-Pac operated by the pro-Israel group American Israel Public Affairs Committee appears to have stayed out of Ms Omar's race.

It had spent millions in races against Mr Bowman and Ms Bush, according to data from Open Secrets, which tracks money in politics.

Super-Pacs are independent "political action committees" that can raise unlimited amounts of money to support an election candidate.

The Intercept reported on Sunday that a last-minute effort by wealthy pro-Israel donors raised six-figure sums to help Mr Samuels.

Opinion polls had suggested Ms Omar would win the challenge.

An internal poll taken last month indicated she was ahead by 30 points, according to media reports.

Ms Omar has gotten help on the campaign trail from progressive Senator Bernie Sanders and Vice-President Kamala Harris, who is running for president.

Ms Omar, who was born in Somalia, is one of the first Muslims to be elected to the US Congress.

She had been an outspoken critic of Israel even before the war in Gaza.

She was removed by the Republican-controlled House from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in February 2023 over a number of comments she'd made about Israel.

Democrats and Ms Omar said at the time it was revenge after two Republicans were ousted from committees in 2020 when Democrats held a House majority.

In 2019, Ms Omar seemed to suggest that Israel demands "allegiance" from American lawmakers and any criticism is viewed as antisemitic, implying money was behind the support for Israel.

Ms Omar apologised for those remarks.

In 2022, when the two last faced off, Ms Omar received 50% of the vote and Mr Samuels received 48%.

Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who has served in the upper chamber of the US Congress since 2007, also won her primary challenge on Tuesday.