Ja-born Samuels trying again to unseat US congresswoman
Published:Thursday | January 4, 2024 | 12:05 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica-born Don Samuels has announced another bid to try and unseat Congresswoman IIhan Omar in Minnesota’s 5th congressional district.
Samuels first ran against the congresswoman in 2022, losing by just over 2,500 votes.
Running on the democratic party ticket, Samuels is hoping that this time around he will be successful in defeating the three-term congresswoman.
The democratic primary is set for August and whoever wins the primary is almost a shoo-in to become the congressional representative in the heavy democratic-congressional district.
Samuels is a long-time community activist and a former Minneapolis City Council member.
The brother of attorney, Bert Samuels, he was born in Lucea, Hanover, lived in St Mary and moved to Kingston at age nine. He attended Swallowfield Primary School, Calabar High School, Manning’s School and Meadowbrook High School. He worked with Things Jamaican and the Tom Redcam Library before migrating to the United States on a scholarship.
On arrival, he settled in Brooklyn and attended Pratt Institute where he studied industrial drawing. Samuels is also a graduate of the Luther Seminary.
Samuels, who has worked for all the major toymakers in the US, traversed that country, living in several states before settling in Minneapolis some 22 years ago.
After building a successful career in the private sector, he won a seat on the Minneapolis City Council in 2003. He spent much of his time on the council sounding the alarm about youth violence in Minneapolis.
Ten years later, Samuels announced his bid for mayor of Minneapolis, eventually losing to Betsy Hodges.
Samuels later served on the board for Minneapolis Public Schools.
In 2021, Samuels and his wife Sondra successfully campaigned against efforts to abolish and replace the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), urging residents to vote ‘No’ on a November ballot question. Samuels said while he and others were “not satisfied with the status quo”, they hoped to change MPD within the current framework.
Omar, who has announced her intention to seek a fourth term, was first elected to Congress in 2019, making her the first Somali-American to serve in either legislative chamber.
Omar then won her reelection in 2020 with 64.5 per cent of the vote.
In 2022, Omar polled just over 57,000 votes, or 50.3 per cent to Samuels’ 56,000 votes or 48.5 per cent.
Differ on issues
Though both are Democrats, Samuels’ campaign said he differs from Omar on issues like the “defund the police” movement, as well as US President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill, which Omar voted against.
He highlighted his personal experience living and working in north Minneapolis, recalling when he convened his neighbours for “block club” meetings, after a bullet flew through his window soon after he moved into his home.
“From the very beginning, it was a style of service that made sure everybody was at the table, that was based on the current and pressing needs,” he said. “I’m going to bring that kind of leadership to Washington.”
Samuels is currently the CEO of MicroGrants, a nonprofit which partners with community organisations to distribute US$1,000 grants to improve the lives of low-income people in the Twin Cities.
He is also a leading figure in the ‘Lights On’ programme where police officers are given vouchers to give to motorists who are stopped for broken car lights instead of giving the driver a ticket. The voucher, valued up to US$250, is issued to have the broken light repaired.