Melton-Meaux has claimed that Omar is divided and too focused on building a national profile. Democratic reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who are also members of the ‘squad’, faced similar attacks in their primary races.
But so far, those attacks have fallen flat: Both Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib dominated in the face of these challenges earlier this year.
During her relatively short tenure in office, Omar, who made history with Tlaib as the first Muslim women to serve in Congress, has attracted an increasing following from the political left for her outspoken support of progressive priorities.
At the same time, she has become a high-profile target of criticism, against attacks by national Republicans, including President Donald Trump. In the summer of 2019, Trump tweeted that “Progressive ‘Democrat Congresswomen” – a clear reference to “The Squad” – should “go back and help fix the completely broken and crime-ridden places where they came from.” ‘
Democrats of Congress have been around Omar in the wake of the president’s attacks, but at times, the congressional woman has also been opposed by members of her own party.
That controversy may have helped fuel Omar’s Democratic challenger. Of the money raised in support of Melton-Meaux’s bid, several hundred thousand dollars have been pooled by a few pro-Israel political action commissions.
While struggling to keep her seat, Omar also has the support of Pelosi, who endorsed her bid for reelection. Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, along with other progressive leaders and organizations led by Justice Democrats, ran for Omar for the primary.
Melton-Meaux said in an interview that Omar’s comments about the past had made “a lack of confidence” in the Jewish community that she was not seeking enough to recover. But his campaign has spent more time questioning Omar’s national profile and whether it has taken her off the job.
“We do not need another celebrity. We do not need sharers. We need people who will work and unite us to challenge and grasp these issues we face as a community,” Melton-Meaux said after suggesting of Omar had been “unnecessarily” engaged in “Twitter fights” with Trump.
In a statement, Omar – who was attacked by the president again less than two weeks ago – reiterated Melton-Meaux’s suggestion that making public with Trump could be counterproductive.
“We stand for a president who regularly explicitly addresses me and other women of color. When the president says I and other women of color should be ‘sent back’ to where we left off – that’s language that many immigrants and marginalized people have heard for decades to silence us and make us feel like we have no voice, ”Omar said. “Standing against Donald Trump is not a division. It stands up for any community that is focused on a xenophobic and hate-filled bull who happens to live in the White House.”
In 2018, Omar also received more votes in total than any new member of Congress and performed 428 congressional districts out of 435, according to an analysis by the congresswoman’s campaign team.
.
