Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz endorses incumbent Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for reelection

CBS News

6 days ago

Incumbent Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has earned Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's endorsement for reelection, despite failing to gain his own party's endorsement earlier this month.
In a statement on Thursday, Walz said Frey "is a partner I can trust to actually deliver progressive policies that improve people's lives."
"Jacob has helped make Minneapolis a national leader on issues like housing, and I've been proud to work with him to deliver funding to hire more police officers and fight violent crime," Walz said. "I am proud to support Mayor Frey's reelection so that we can continue working together to move Minneapolis into the future."
The Minneapolis DFL has endorsed state Sen. Omar Fateh in the 2025 mayoral race. Fateh, a Democratic Socialist, said the endorsement "is a message that Minneapolis residents are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual."
Frey's campaign filed a challenge with the Minneapolis DFL over the endorsement, on which the party has declined to comment. The mayor wants the endorsement to be invalidated due to what his campaign alleges is an "extraordinarily high" number of uncounted votes produced by the "highly flawed and untested" electronic voting system used at the convention.
The incumbent mayor enthusiastically accepted the governor's endorsement.
"Governor Walz has been a champion for the values that have made Minnesota a beacon of hope and national progress," Frey said. "On everything from affordability to public safety, no one has done more for working families than Governor Walz. I am honored to have his endorsement and grateful for his partnership in making Minneapolis a safer and more affordable city for all."
Frey was a City Council member before being elected mayor in 2017. He won reelection with 56% of the vote in 2021.
The governor's office will be on the ballot in Minnesota next year. Walz has not yet announced whether or not he will run for reelection.
Note: The video above originally aired July 27, 2025.