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Washington Post
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Is a Mamdani repeat coming to the Midwest? A democratic socialist is getting a boost in Minnesota.
The Democratic Party in Minneapolis over the weekend endorsed a democratic socialist over the two-term incumbent in the city's mayoral race, the latest indicator of increased momentum for the progressive left in local races across the country. Delegates of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota's most populous city on Saturday threw their support behind state Sen. Omar Fateh, who defeated Mayor Jacob Frey, at the party's convention. The endorsement comes less than a month after Zohran Mamdani, also a democratic socialist and state lawmaker, won the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York.
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Minneapolis Democrats endorse democratic socialist for mayor over incumbent
A Democratic socialist member of the Minnesota state senate won his party's endorsement for the Minneapolis mayoral race over the incumbent, giving momentum to the progressive left's political rise. Omar Fateh, a state senator from Minneapolis's southside, beat Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, who served as mayor during the George Floyd protests and through the pandemic. Fateh gained momentum after Zohran Mamdani, also a democratic socialist and state lawmaker, won the primary for New York City mayor. Fateh was first elected to the state senate in 2020 and won re-election in 2022. He was the first Somali American and Muslim elected to the chamber. He chaired the higher education committee and advanced a plan for free college for families who make less than $80,000. 'I am incredibly honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for Minneapolis mayor,' Fateh said after the endorsement win, referring to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, the Democratic party in Minnesota. '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.' Frey's campaign contends that the endorsement process in Minneapolis was flawed and an electronic voting system didn't properly count all votes. He is planning an appeal to the state party, multiple local news outlets reported. It is not unheard of for an incumbent to lose the party's endorsement in the city – Frey came in second in his two prior runs for the office and still won the elections. In the endorsement process for Minneapolis races, local delegates vote for which candidate they want to endorse, then narrow down until a candidate tops 60% of the vote. In the first ballot this weekend, Fateh got 43% of votes to Frey's 31%. The tabulation took longer than expected, and some questioned whether all votes were actually included in the eventual tally, Axios Twin Cities reported. Frey's supporters left the convention, and the remaining delegates voted by a show of hands, giving Fateh the win. 'I want to thank everyone who showed up to support my campaign,' Frey said after the endorsement loss. 'This election should be decided by our entire city, not by a handful of delegates.' The city uses ranked-choice voting, and the general election is this November. After Mamdani's win in June, Fateh posted a video in a similar style, talking about his plans for affordability, defending the city against Trump and public safety. 'Everyone keeps asking me, Omar, why aren't you doing more videos? As a state senator with a second full time job and a kid on the way, I just haven't been able to find the time,' he says while walking through the city. Like Mamdani, Fateh focused on affordability and has emphasized that he is a renter throughout his campaign – topics he has been committed to as state senator as well. There are some Minnesota twists: 'We'll shovel sidewalks, build shelters, and finally reopen public spaces,' he wrote on X about his platform. 'I'm here to fight for the people this city's left behind.' Fateh has been attacked with racist and Islamophobic comments by rightwing commentators in recent weeks. Charlie Kirk, the leader of Turning Point USA, claimed there has been an 'Islamic takeover' in the country and shared Fateh's video, saying people need to 'commit to stopping all third world immigration'. Fateh was born in Washington DC.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Minneapolis Democrats endorse democratic socialist for mayor over incumbent
A Democratic socialist member of the Minnesota state senate won his party's endorsement for the Minneapolis mayoral race over the incumbent, giving momentum to the progressive left's political rise. Omar Fateh, a state senator from Minneapolis's southside, beat Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, who served as mayor during the George Floyd protests and through the pandemic. Fateh gained momentum after Zohran Mamdani, also a democratic socialist and state lawmaker, won the primary for New York City mayor. Fateh was first elected to the state senate in 2020 and won re-election in 2022. He was the first Somali American and Muslim elected to the chamber. He chaired the higher education committee and advanced a plan for free college for families who make less than $80,000. 'I am incredibly honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for Minneapolis mayor,' Fateh said after the endorsement win, referring to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, the Democratic party in Minnesota. '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.' Frey's campaign contends that the endorsement process in Minneapolis was flawed and an electronic voting system didn't properly count all votes. He is planning an appeal to the state party, multiple local news outlets reported. It is not unheard of for an incumbent to lose the party's endorsement in the city – Frey came in second in his two prior runs for the office and still won the elections. In the endorsement process for Minneapolis races, local delegates vote for which candidate they want to endorse, then narrow down until a candidate tops 60% of the vote. In the first ballot this weekend, Fateh got 43% of votes to Frey's 31%. The tabulation took longer than expected, and some questioned whether all votes were actually included in the eventual tally, Axios Twin Cities reported. Frey's supporters left the convention, and the remaining delegates voted by a show of hands, giving Fateh the win. 'I want to thank everyone who showed up to support my campaign,' Frey said after the endorsement loss. 'This election should be decided by our entire city, not by a handful of delegates.' The city uses ranked-choice voting, and the general election is this November. After Mamdani's win in June, Fateh posted a video in a similar style, talking about his plans for affordability, defending the city against Trump and public safety. 'Everyone keeps asking me, Omar, why aren't you doing more videos? As a state senator with a second full time job and a kid on the way, I just haven't been able to find the time,' he says while walking through the city. Like Mamdani, Fateh focused on affordability and has emphasized that he is a renter throughout his campaign – topics he has been committed to as state senator as well. There are some Minnesota twists: 'We'll shovel sidewalks, build shelters, and finally reopen public spaces,' he wrote on X about his platform. 'I'm here to fight for the people this city's left behind.' Fateh has been attacked with racist and Islamophobic comments by rightwing commentators in recent weeks. Charlie Kirk, the leader of Turning Point USA, claimed there has been an 'Islamic takeover' in the country and shared Fateh's video, saying people need to 'commit to stopping all third world immigration'. Fateh was born in Washington DC.
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Chris Cuomo Compares Mamdani Supporters To Left-Wing Version Of MAGA
New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) speaks to supporters during an election ... More night gathering on June 24 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Chris Cuomo has waded into the fallout from his brother Andrew Cuomo's loss in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary, delivering a scorching takedown of Democrats and the supporters who propelled 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani to victory. While Cuomo avoided covering the race on his show while it was happening, because of the obvious personal ties, he broke his silence following his brother's loss to a democratic socialist who's also a rising figure on the city's progressive left. During a segment on his NewsNation show Wednesday night, the former CNN anchor framed the outcome of the primary as a symptom of a larger problem within the Democratic Party, a party that he described as sliding into its own version of political extremism. Mamdani, a state assemblyman, has built his platform on housing justice, taxing the wealthy, and defunding the police – positions that have energized younger voters but also alienated centrists. Cuomo: Democrats are embracing extremism 'There were several radical choices in the mix, not to mention, and contrary to what was sold by his opponents, Andrew is no establishment guy, and the party did not love that he ran, but that's his case to make,' Cuomo said, according to a transcript of his NewsNation remarks. He pointed to what he described as low voter turnout and disproportionate enthusiasm among the most ideological voters as key factors in the primary result. According to Cuomo, that imbalance allowed more radical voices to dominate the race and ultimately tilted voters to Mamdani, which now puts the party into what Cuomo described as its own kind of 'MAGA mode.' 'In the same way MAGA played with the prejudices of white nationalism, you're seeing an identical dynamic on the left with prejudices like tacitly supporting extreme Islamism or targeting Jews,' Cuomo said. 'For the right, it's migrants. For the left, it's Jews. It's fundamentalist Christians dominating the right, and fundamentalist Islamists making headway on the left. I know that doesn't sound like Democrats, but the party is dead. What it will be reborn as, we'll see.' 'Dead" is obviously a strong word choice here from the veteran broadcaster. Cuomo went on to claim that the party has lost its moderate center and is in the midst of being reshaped by louder and more inflexible factions. 'The winner is an open socialist,' he said of Mamdani. 'And the Democratic Party is now just that: Socialistic. But be clear, this is a fictional fix for very real frustrations.' No surprise, those comments sparked a fierce backlash, with viewers speaking out in the comments section of the YouTube video below: 'This dude doesn't realize that he's part of the old establishment that no one wants anymore,' one said of Cuomo's comments. Added another: 'What the hell are you talking about dude, that is a disgusting comparison ... I will never click on your videos again.' Both Cuomo brothers have certainly become lightning rods in American politics. Andrew stepped down as governor of New York in 2021 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, while Chris was later dismissed from CNN for advising his brother behind the scenes during that crisis. Their falls from grace unfolded in parallel, turning two of the most prominent names in Democratic politics into symbols of controversy and division.
