Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who presided over the city during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots, has lost the Democratic Party’s endorsement to a Somali-American socialist, State Senator Omar Fateh, ahead of the 2025 mayoral race.
Fateh, 35, received more than 60% of delegate support at the Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) convention on Saturday, edging out the incumbent after a contentious and chaotic voting process.
The endorsement makes Fateh, a Democratic Socialist, the new standard-bearer for a party that has shifted increasingly far-left in the wake of the riots.
Vote Disputed by Frey’s Team
Voting problems at the DFL convention, held at the Target Center, caused confusion. After technical issues with electronic ballots, delegates resorted to paper ballots and raising badges in the final vote.
Supporters of Frey walked out in protest, aiming to block quorum.
“This election should be decided by the entire city rather than a small group of delegates,” said Frey’s campaign manager Sam Schulenberg. “Particularly in light of the extremely flawed and irregular conduct of this convention.”
Despite objections, Fateh’s nomination stands as a major upset to the city’s political establishment.
2020 Riots Still Cast a Shadow
Frey, first elected in 2017 and reelected in 2021, led the city through the George Floyd riots, when businesses were burned, police precincts abandoned, and lawlessness erupted.
Despite appeasing progressive demands on police reform, Frey refused to support fully defunding the police—a stance that got him booed and shouted down during a 2020 protest. That moment appeared to mark a permanent break with the city’s hard-left base.
Now, the same faction has elevated Fateh, a self-described socialist, to the top of the ticket.
Fateh’s Radical Agenda
Fateh’s platform includes:
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Rent control
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Massive new taxes on the wealthy
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Expanded government housing
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Redefined public safety through alternative responders
“This endorsement is a message that Minneapolis residents are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual,” Fateh said on X.
“It’s a mandate to build a city that works for all of us.”
He added, “Join our coalition for a Minneapolis where housing is a human right, public safety means sending the right responders, and city government stands for working people—not corporate donors.”
November Showdown Ahead
With the DFL’s endorsement in hand, Fateh now heads toward a November 4 general election showdown against Frey, who will continue to run without party backing.
The race offers voters a clear contrast: Frey’s progressive-but-cautious leadership versus Fateh’s hard-left socialism, in a city still grappling with the fallout of 2020.
