Mark Ruffalo Campaigning For Ilhan Omar Quickly Backfires As Her Primary Opponent Seizes On Celebrity’s Gaffe

AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib

Actor Mark Ruffalo inadvertently highlighted Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) vote against federal infrastructure dollars in her district while trying to boost her campaign ahead of Tuesday’s primary vote.

Ruffalo posted to X, “Thanks to @IlhanMN, MN will see 100,000 new green jobs over the next decade. That’s real leadership on climate action. Join us in turning out to vote for @IlhanMN and keep a true progressive in Congress!”

The actor, known for his progressive activism, was quickly fact-checked on X by a community note, which cited a press release from Omar’s office. “Ilhan Omar voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which brought those green jobs to Minnesota,” noted the community note.

Omar’s Democratic Party primary opponent Don Samuels shared Ruffalo’s post and added, “Another satisfied constituent….oh wait, no, a celebrity who doesn’t live here nor is from here. Also, unfortunately, Rep. Omar voted against President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which has created over 38,300 good-paying union jobs and made a historic investment in combatting climate change.”

Omar narrowly defeated Samuels, a former Minneapolis City Council Member, in the 2022 primary, but has been forecasted to win her race this time around. The Cook Political Report wrote last week that Omar is “in a strong position to fend off another primary challenge” by Samuels as she has campaigned aggressively to keep her seat this time around. Omar’s fellow so-called “Squad” members, Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Cori Bush (D-MO), have already lost their reelection bids, which is certain to keep attention on the race as results come in.

Axios added that Omar “has significantly outraised Samuels and unlike last time is spending her war chest. She’s spent more than $2.7 million on TV and digital ads, per Ad Impact, compared to the roughly $185,000 from the Samuels campaign.”