Don Samuels

Don Samuels
Member of the Minneapolis City Council
In office
February 14, 2003 – January 6, 2014
Preceded byJoe Biernat
Succeeded byBlong Yang
Constituency3rd ward (2003–2006)
5th ward (2006–2014)
Personal details
Born (1949-05-13) May 13, 1949 (age 75)[1]
Jamaica
Political partyDemocratic
EducationPratt Institute (BS)
Luther Seminary (MDiv)

Don Samuels (born May 13, 1949) is an American politician, activist, and non-profit executive who served as a member of the Minneapolis City Council from 2003 to 2014. A member of the DFL, Samuels represented the 3rd and 5th wards during his three-term tenure. He also served one term as an at-large representative on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board from 2015 to 2019.

Samuels is the former CEO of MicroGrants, a Minnesota non-profit that offers small grants to low-income individuals.[2][3] Samuels came to national attention when he placed an unexpectedly close second to incumbent Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in the 2022 DFL primary for Minnesota's 5th congressional district. Samuels ran again in 2024 but lost to Omar again by a wider 13% margin.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ Ostermeier, Dr. Eric J. "Minnesota Historical Election Archive". Minnesota Historical Election Archive. Smart Politics - University of Minnesota. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference StribMicro was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Schulenberg, Sam (17 July 2024). "Don Samuels releases first TV ad in rematch vs Rep. Ilhan Omar". Don Samuels. Don Samuels for Congress. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Rep. Ilhan Omar fends off primary challengers following other 'squad' members' defeats". NBC News. 2024-08-14. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  5. ^ Vigdor, Neil (2024-08-14). "Ilhan Omar, a Vocal Critic of Israel and 'Squad' Member, Wins Her Primary". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  6. ^ Murphy, Esme; Staff, WCCO; Cummings, Caroline (2024-08-13). "Rep. Ilhan Omar defeats Don Samuels in Democratic primary for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District - CBS Minnesota". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-08-14.