Minnesota Democrats Endorse Omar Fateh for Minneapolis Mayor

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party in Minneapolis has officially endorsed State Senator Omar Fateh for mayor, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown in one of the most closely watched local races in the country.

Fateh, 35, made history in 2020 as the first Somali-American and first Muslim elected to the Minnesota State Senate. Now, with the DFL’s backing, he hopes to become the next mayor of Minneapolis—and potentially, the first Somali-American to lead a major U.S. city.

“I’m incredibly honored to be the DFL-endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Mayor,” Fateh wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “This endorsement is a message that Minneapolis residents are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual.”

The endorsement was secured over the weekend during the party’s citywide convention, which was moved from North High School to the larger Target Center to accommodate more than 1,600 delegates and alternates. Fateh emerged victorious over four other candidates, including incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey.

A progressive lawmaker with roots in community organizing, Fateh has positioned himself as a champion of working-class residents. His campaign has focused on affordable housing, police reform, and building what he describes as “a vibrant, loving city that works for all of us.”

But his challenge to Frey is not merely policy-driven—it’s deeply personal.

On his campaign website, Fateh accused the mayor of failing to follow through on key promises, including ending homelessness by 2022 and delivering a clear public safety vision after the killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin.

“He vetoes every solution that comes to his desk,” Fateh said. “It’s time for a mayor who has real solutions that put Minneapolis residents first.”

Mayor Frey’s campaign responded swiftly, saying it intends to appeal the endorsement process with the state-level DFL. “This election should be decided by the entire city rather than the small group of people who became delegates,” Frey said, calling the convention’s conduct “flawed and irregular.”

Fateh’s endorsement adds to a growing wave of progressive candidates gaining traction in urban politics. He follows the footsteps of Zohran Mamdani, a Ugandan-born Democratic socialist and state assemblyman from New York City who won his party’s mayoral nomination earlier this summer.

With the general election set for November, Minneapolis voters now face a stark choice between two sharply contrasting visions for the city’s future.