Minneapolis — Somali-American state senator and Democratic Socialist Omar Fateh has secured the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party’s endorsement for Minneapolis mayor, defeating incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey in a convention marked by tension, walkouts, and political upheaval.
Fateh’s victory represents a dramatic shift in the city’s political landscape. A rising progressive voice in Minnesota politics, he won the endorsement after multiple rounds of balloting at the DFL convention on Saturday, overcoming Frey’s centrist coalition and highlighting growing dissatisfaction among grassroots organizers and younger voters.
“This is a win for working families, renters, immigrants, and all of us who believe Minneapolis can be a city where everyone thrives. We’re building a movement that puts people before profits and justice before politics,” Fateh told cheering delegates after clinching the endorsement.
The endorsement comes just months ahead of the city’s ranked-choice mayoral election scheduled for November 4, where voters will ultimately decide who will lead Minneapolis through its next term.
Frey’s campaign was dealt a significant blow by the endorsement loss. In a show of protest, dozens of his supporters exited the convention floor after Fateh crossed the required 60% delegate threshold to claim the DFL nod. Frey has not formally responded to the endorsement outcome but is expected to remain in the race as an independent or under the broader DFL banner, which allows candidates to run even without party endorsement.
The convention, held at the Minneapolis Convention Center, saw heated debate over public safety, housing affordability, police accountability, and climate justice — all central themes in Fateh’s progressive platform. Fateh, the son of Somali immigrants and a state senator since 2021, has championed policies like rent control, expanded social housing, and reallocating police funding toward community-based safety programs.
His campaign has drawn support from local activists, labor unions, and national progressive groups including the Democratic Socialists of America, which labeled the endorsement a “historic milestone for democratic socialism and immigrant representation in U.S. city politics.”
Political analysts say Fateh’s success could energize progressive voter turnout while posing a major challenge to Frey, who has faced criticism over his handling of policing reforms and housing costs since George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
The ranked-choice system will allow Minneapolis voters to list multiple candidates in order of preference, meaning the race is still wide open despite Fateh’s endorsement. Several other contenders remain in the running, including community organizers and former council members, but none have matched Fateh’s recent momentum.
With less than four months to go, the mayoral race is shaping up to be one of the most consequential and ideologically polarized in the city’s modern history.