Latest news with #Omar Fateh
CNN
24-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Democratic socialists fresh off Mamdani victory see opportunity in Minneapolis
State & local racesFacebookTweetLink Follow Less than a month after Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York City's mayoral primary, some of Mamdani's allies are coalescing around another democratic socialist challenging the incumbent Democratic mayor of Minneapolis. Minnesota State Sen. Omar Fateh has proposed enacting rent stabilization if elected mayor, disciplining and firing local police who work with immigration officers, and increasing access to affordable housing. Fateh on Saturday won the endorsement of the Minneapolis Democrats at a convention that supporters of incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey have challenged, arguing the results were tainted by issues with the voting system. It's a setback for Frey, though one decided by several hundred delegates on the final ballot rather than the larger electorate in November. Still, Fateh's emergence shows democratic socialism is on the upswing well beyond New York City, powered by record-low approval ratings for the Democratic Party and as many elected Democrats face criticism from the party's left flank. 'We are 2-for-2 with socialist mayors of major American cities,' exclaimed Aru Shiney-Ajay, executive director of the Sunrise Movement, a national climate justice group that also endorsed Mamdani, in a video she posted after Fateh's victory. Fateh is the first Somali-American and first Muslim to serve in the Minnesota State Senate. In the state legislature, he has pursued funding free college tuition and securing a statewide living wage for ride-share drivers. He told CNN that he already has more than 1,000 volunteers knocking on doors and making calls. He sees Mamdani's win as proof that progressives can lead with their values and still win. 'I think nationally the Democratic establishment has not done a great job speaking to the needs of working people for far too long,' he said. Frey is a two-term incumbent who led Minneapolis during the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests and unrest following George Floyd's murder by a White police officer. He has positioned himself as a 'pragmatic progressive.' He maintains that under his leadership, he's made important investments in affordable housing like through the Stable Homes, Stable Schools program aimed at getting Minneapolis public school students experiencing homelessness into housing or providing them with housing assistance. 'We have a chance right now to make Minneapolis a national model for how major cities that are run by Democrats can work, how they can deliver for people on everything from affordability to public safety,' Frey told CNN. Frey has alienated some of the city's progressives with the use of his veto power. Last year, he vetoed a council-backed resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, a Minneapolis minimum ride-share pay law and a carbon emission fees ordinance. But he argues the issues are more complicated than they appear on the surface and he had good reason to try to block some of what's come out of the city council. 'Occasionally, you do have to tell people what they don't want to hear when that in fact is the truth. I won't sign on to things like defunding the police or rent control, when those policies have been shown very clearly to not work,' Frey said. Shiney-Ajay told CNN that her group and allies relied on the same sort of grassroots organizing as in New York to deliver Fateh's victory at the Minneapolis convention of what is formally known as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. 'We had a large, organized push towards getting people to go to the ward gatherings and then be able to get elected as delegates,' Shiney-Ajay said. It was the first time in 16 years city Democrats made an endorsement for a mayoral candidate. 'I think this is really a sign of a seismic shift happening in the country right now of young people in particular, just calling for policies that actually improve the lives of everyday people and being sick of the status quo,' Shiney-Ajay added. The endorsement means Fateh will get resources from the state DFL party like volunteers and access to the voter access network, the database that is given to endorsed candidates. Frey noted that he came in second place at the nominating convention in his last two successful runs for mayor. His campaign has challenged the convention results, alleging hundreds of votes were missing or uncounted in mayoral balloting. Local reports suggest the endorsing convention was chaotic, the party's online delegate voting system malfunctioned and at one point, some of Frey's supporters left the arena. Minneapolis DFL Chair John Maraist says while Frey is well within his right to ask the state party for a review, the convention ran in accordance with the rules. 'I think when a lot of people see a vibrant and very participatory discussion, a debate over the rules, they see chaos but really this was very tightly organized,' Maraist told CNN. Just as in New York, a final verdict on the Democrats' intra-party struggle in Minneapolis will come in the fall. Many of Frey's supporters are also shrugging off the impact of the endorsement and believe he will ultimately win a third term. 'I think he's well positioned because both his record and his policy priorities are more closely aligned with the Minneapolis electorate than that of the city council, who is significantly to his left on issues like defunding the police and allowing homeless encampments,' said Jacob Hill, Executive Director of All of Minneapolis, a PAC that endorsed Frey. Hill argues Fateh is too extreme. 'Omar Fateh makes Bernie Sanders look conservative,' he said. Like New York City, Minneapolis has ranked-choice voting, but in the general election rather than the primary. Some of Fateh's supporters are wary of deploying an 'anyone but Frey' strategy in the fall's ranked-choice general election contest, like what was used against Andrew Cuomo in New York, as they say that has not worked against Frey in the past. 'There were challenges to Mayor Frey in 2021 that used a 'don't rank Frey' strategy and that failed monumentally so just using that same terminology is not something we want to do, but there are three viable candidates that are opposing Mayor Frey,' said Chelsea McFarren, chair of Minneapolis for the Many, a progressive political action committee founded in 2023. The group has not yet endorsed a mayoral candidate but would like to see Frey ousted in favor of a more progressive leader.
CNN
24-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Democratic socialists fresh off Mamdani victory see opportunity in Minneapolis
Less than a month after Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York City's mayoral primary, some of Mamdani's allies are coalescing around another democratic socialist challenging the incumbent Democratic mayor of Minneapolis. Minnesota State Sen. Omar Fateh has proposed enacting rent stabilization if elected mayor, disciplining and firing local police who work with immigration officers, and increasing access to affordable housing. Fateh on Saturday won the endorsement of the Minneapolis Democrats at a convention that supporters of incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey have challenged, arguing the results were tainted by issues with the voting system. It's a setback for Frey, though one decided by several hundred delegates on the final ballot rather than the larger electorate in November. Still, Fateh's emergence shows democratic socialism is on the upswing well beyond New York City, powered by record-low approval ratings for the Democratic Party and as many elected Democrats face criticism from the party's left flank. 'We are 2-for-2 with socialist mayors of major American cities,' exclaimed Aru Shiney-Ajay, executive director of the Sunrise Movement, a national climate justice group that also endorsed Mamdani, in a video she posted after Fateh's victory. Fateh is the first Somali-American and first Muslim to serve in the Minnesota State Senate. In the state legislature, he has pursued funding free college tuition and securing a statewide living wage for ride-share drivers. He told CNN that he already has more than 1,000 volunteers knocking on doors and making calls. He sees Mamdani's win as proof that progressives can lead with their values and still win. 'I think nationally the Democratic establishment has not done a great job speaking to the needs of working people for far too long,' he said. Frey is a two-term incumbent who led Minneapolis during the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests and unrest following George Floyd's murder by a White police officer. He has positioned himself as a 'pragmatic progressive.' He maintains that under his leadership, he's made important investments in affordable housing like through the Stable Homes, Stable Schools program aimed at getting Minneapolis public school students experiencing homelessness into housing or providing them with housing assistance. 'We have a chance right now to make Minneapolis a national model for how major cities that are run by Democrats can work, how they can deliver for people on everything from affordability to public safety,' Frey told CNN. Frey has alienated some of the city's progressives with the use of his veto power. Last year, he vetoed a council-backed resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, a Minneapolis minimum ride-share pay law and a carbon emission fees ordinance. But he argues the issues are more complicated than they appear on the surface and he had good reason to try to block some of what's come out of the city council. 'Occasionally, you do have to tell people what they don't want to hear when that in fact is the truth. I won't sign on to things like defunding the police or rent control, when those policies have been shown very clearly to not work,' Frey said. Shiney-Ajay told CNN that her group and allies relied on the same sort of grassroots organizing as in New York to deliver Fateh's victory at the Minneapolis convention of what is formally known as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. 'We had a large, organized push towards getting people to go to the ward gatherings and then be able to get elected as delegates,' Shiney-Ajay said. It was the first time in 16 years city Democrats made an endorsement for a mayoral candidate. 'I think this is really a sign of a seismic shift happening in the country right now of young people in particular, just calling for policies that actually improve the lives of everyday people and being sick of the status quo,' Shiney-Ajay added. The endorsement means Fateh will get resources from the state DFL party like volunteers and access to the voter access network, the database that is given to endorsed candidates. Frey noted that he came in second place at the nominating convention in his last two successful runs for mayor. His campaign has challenged the convention results, alleging hundreds of votes were missing or uncounted in mayoral balloting. Local reports suggest the endorsing convention was chaotic, the party's online delegate voting system malfunctioned and at one point, some of Frey's supporters left the arena. Minneapolis DFL Chair John Maraist says while Frey is well within his right to ask the state party for a review, the convention ran in accordance with the rules. 'I think when a lot of people see a vibrant and very participatory discussion, a debate over the rules, they see chaos but really this was very tightly organized,' Maraist told CNN. Just as in New York, a final verdict on the Democrats' intra-party struggle in Minneapolis will come in the fall. Many of Frey's supporters are also shrugging off the impact of the endorsement and believe he will ultimately win a third term. 'I think he's well positioned because both his record and his policy priorities are more closely aligned with the Minneapolis electorate than that of the city council, who is significantly to his left on issues like defunding the police and allowing homeless encampments,' said Jacob Hill, Executive Director of All of Minneapolis, a PAC that endorsed Frey. Hill argues Fateh is too extreme. 'Omar Fateh makes Bernie Sanders look conservative,' he said. Like New York City, Minneapolis has ranked-choice voting, but in the general election rather than the primary. Some of Fateh's supporters are wary of deploying an 'anyone but Frey' strategy in the fall's ranked-choice general election contest, like what was used against Andrew Cuomo in New York, as they say that has not worked against Frey in the past. 'There were challenges to Mayor Frey in 2021 that used a 'don't rank Frey' strategy and that failed monumentally so just using that same terminology is not something we want to do, but there are three viable candidates that are opposing Mayor Frey,' said Chelsea McFarren, chair of Minneapolis for the Many, a progressive political action committee founded in 2023. The group has not yet endorsed a mayoral candidate but would like to see Frey ousted in favor of a more progressive leader.
New York Times
23-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
A Minnesota Mamdani? A Race for Mayor Has Echoes, but Only So Far.
He's a young democratic socialist with an immigrant story, a Muslim mayoral candidate who defeated the Democratic establishment in a recent intraparty contest. On the left and the right, the comparison has been irresistible: State Senator Omar Fateh of Minnesota, the argument goes, could be Minneapolis's version of Zohran Mamdani, the left-wing assemblyman from Queens whose victory in New York City's mayoral primary last month sent shock waves through the Democratic Party. 'From NYC to Minneapolis — change is coming!' declared the Twin Cities chapter of Democratic Socialists of America last weekend, after Mr. Fateh received the endorsement of the Minneapolis chapter of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Minnesota's version of the Democratic Party, at a chaotic gathering last weekend. The endorsement passed over Mayor Jacob Frey, 44, a two-term incumbent who has clashed with more left-wing members of the City Council. Mr. Frey's re-election campaign is among those challenging the D.F.L.'s endorsement. At every level of government, Democratic primaries are testing the ideological and stylistic mood of a party left adrift by its disastrous defeats last fall, with strategists and activists parsing Mr. Mamdani's stunning victory for early clues about voter sentiment ahead of next year's midterm elections. But while the Minneapolis mayor's race will offer another measure of Democratic attitudes around policing and affordability, as well as of the electorate's appetite for change, the parallels with New York City, beyond surface level, are limited so far. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Minneapolis Democrats endorse Somali-American socialist Omar Fateh for mayor just weeks after NYC branch chose '100% communist'
A Somali-American democratic socialist has clinched the Minneapolis mayoral endorsement just weeks after a '100% communist' was elected in New York City. Omar Fateh, a 35-year-old Minnesota state senator, won the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's endorsement for Minneapolis mayor on Saturday - an upset victory over two-term incumbent Jacob Frey that few saw coming, as reported by Axios. The win comes less than a month after 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani defeated New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary - a victory that prompted Donald Trump to brand him a '100 percent Communist lunatic.' 'I am incredibly honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Mayor,' Fateh wrote to X following the endorsement. 'This endorsement is a message that Minneapolis residents are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual. It's a mandate to build a city that works for all of us.' More than 1,000 party activists packed the Target Center on Saturday afternoon, where around 5pm, delegates cast their first mayoral endorsement votes via smartphone - launching a nearly two-hour vote tallying process by party officials. The suspense was palpable as attendees wondered if Frey - who led the city through the turbulent 2020 Black Lives Matter protests - would succeed in blocking the first Somali-American Muslim to serve in the state's senate. Mamdani's endorsement energized left-wing challengers, who celebrated the possibility of unseating Frey at the upcoming DFL convention - while others looked on with doubt and concern over the 'progressive uprising' in America's biggest cities. The potential shift in the nation's political landscape was on full display at this weekend's convention. Frey's supporters began abandoning the arena at about 9pm in protest, just as the results came in - Fateh had secured the endorsement. Not only did Fateh claim a seat at the mayoral table, but he also made history -becoming the Minneapolis DFL's first endorsement in a contested mayor's race since at least 1997, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune. Fateh captured 43.8 percent of the roughly 577 delegate votes, while Frey trailed with 31.5 percent, as reported by Axios. The socialist candidate ultimately secured over 60 percent of delegate votes at the convention, despite vocal complaints from the Frey campaign over the fairness of the process. Chaos erupted as Frey's campaign officials challenged the results, claiming the party's online delegate voting system had allegedly malfunctioned - pointing to a suspiciously low number of recorded votes. 'This election should be decided by the entire city rather than the small group of people who became delegates, particularly in light of the extremely flawed and irregular conduct of this convention,' Frey campaign manager Sam Schulenberg said in a statement, according to the outlet. 'Voters will now have a clear choice between the records and leadership of Sen. Fateh and Mayor Frey. We look forward to taking our vision to the voters in November, he added. Fateh has drawn increased attention following Mamdani's stunning - and surprising - victory over Cuomo in Manhattan's Democratic mayoral primary. Some have even dubbed him the 'Mamdani of Minneapolis,' according to the Star Tribune. The parallels are hard to miss: both Fateh and Mamdani are in their 30s, Muslim, democratic socialists and state lawmakers focused on making their cities more affordable and equitable. However, their rise in the political spotlight hasn't come without backlash - from both online critics and prominent, well-known faces. Former New York Giants player Carter Coughlin launched a savage attack on Fateh following his endorsement on Sunday, claiming that his policies of rent control and raising minimum wage would set Minneapolis back years. He also debated Fateh's credibility to become mayor with some of his followers. 'In a city that has endured unimaginable destruction and racial tension, these policies would set Minneapolis back another 10 steps,' Coughlin wrote. 'MPLS (Minneapolis) needs rebuilding, and this will do the opposite. Pray for wisdom.' Nevertheless, Fateh took to the arena floor just after 10pm to claim victory, declaring, 'Today, we witnessed a rejection of politics as usual,' as reported by Axios. We know the status quo are going to do anything and everything to maintain power, he added. 'They'll have all the money in the world - but they don't have you.' Though the final decision won't come until November, one thing is clear: Minneapolis is signaling a readiness for change - and big cities could be sparking the start of a broader movement.
