Press Releases

Don Samuels raises more than $400,000 in Q1 rematch with Rep. Ilhan Omar

MINNEAPOLIS, April 15, 2024–Don Samuels, former Minneapolis City Council Member and current congressional candidate in Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, has announced remarkable fundraising success. His campaign raised $400,034 in the first quarter of 2024, surpassing the pace of his previous campaign. Despite being outmatched in fundraising, Samuels came incredibly close to defeating Rep. Ilhan Omar, the party-endorsed incumbent, falling just 2.1% short in the previous election.

Samuels’ campaign has already raised more than half of its total 2022 budget and has invested heavily in building the field team necessary to prevail in this year’s contest. His field team currently consists of more than 20 staff members and is rapidly growing.

“Given the momentum of our last campaign, we made an early decision to invest in the staff necessary to engage the thousands of supporters and hundreds of volunteers who know that we need new leadership in Washington–and an end to the cynical and divisive politics that has been so successful in dividing neighbors and even family members against one another. This is a people-powered campaign,” said Samuels.

The campaign ended the quarter with $232,502 cash on hand. Meanwhile, Omar continues to use fear and misinformation to power her fundraising machine, spending over a half million dollars a quarter on fundraising and fundraising ads. Additionally, Omar has received maximum contributions from conservative donors like Farouk Shami, a good friend of Donald Trump, who has given more than $360,000 to the former president and the Republican National Committee, including more than $100,000 since the January 6th insurrection.

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Media Contact:

Lee Hayes

Communications Consultant

651-261-4356

[email protected]

PO Box 50024 Minneapolis, MN 55405

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