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Fox News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Socialist candidate for mayor makes waves in the City of Lakes
The comparisons between Omar Fateh and Zohran Mamdani are easy to draw. Mamdani, the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman from New York City, stunned the nation's political world a month ago by coming from behind to convincingly win the Democratic Party mayoral nomination in the nation's most populous city. And with his victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates, Mamdani took a big step toward becoming New York City's first Muslim and first millennial mayor. Fateh, like Mamdani, is a democratic socialist and a Muslim. And at age 35, he's also a member of Generation Y. And similar to Mamdani, he topped an establishment Democrat to earn a crucial endorsement as he bids for Minneapolis mayor. "From NYC to Minneapolis — change is coming!" the Twin Cities chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America touted a week and a half ago after Fateh landed the endorsement of the Minneapolis chapter of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which is the name of the Democratic Party in Minnesota. Fateh landed the endorsement over incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey, who is running for a third term. But Frey, who has repeatedly faced off during his tenure with a left-leaning city council in the heavily blue city, remains on the ballot, and will face off with Fateh in November's election. And similar to New York City, Minneapolis will use ranked choice voting to determine its next mayor. "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," Fateh said, in a jab at Frey. But Frey highlighted that "this election should be decided by our entire city, not by a handful of delegates. I look forward to a full debate with Sen. Fateh about our records and visions for our Minneapolis's future. Onward to November!" Fateh, similar to Mamdani, is offering voters what can be characterized as a far-left agenda. In New York City, Mamdani is pushing proposals to eliminate fares to ride New York City's vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) "tuition-free," freezing rents on municipal housing, offering "free childcare" for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores. Fateh, the son of immigrant parents from Somalia who five years ago became the first Somali-American elected to the Minnesota Senate, pledges if elected mayor to raise the city's minimum wage, increase the supply of affordable housing, and combat what he calls police violence. Similar to Mamdani, Fateh calls for replacing some of the police department's duties with community-led alternatives. He also wants to issue legal IDs to undocumented immigrants. Larry Jacobs, a public affairs professor at the University of Minnesota, pointed to the numerous parallels between Mamdani and Fateh. But he noted that "the big difference is in Minneapolis you have a two-term mayor who's probably still the favorite to win." Jacobs highlighted that the Democratic Party is going through "post election blues." He pointed to a "genuine division on the direction of the party and that division in part is between a younger socialist element… and a more moderate version of the party that has relations with business and pulls back on change that's disruptive." Republicans have been relentless in taking aim at Mamdani and his far-left proposals. They are repeatedly trying to make him the face of the Democratic Party while also attempting to anchor him to vulnerable Democrats up for re-election in next year's midterms. While not grabbing the kind of media frenzy that surrounds Mamdani, Republicans and conservatives have started targeting Fateh. Among them is Charlie Kirk—the conservative host and MAGA-world rockstar who leads the influential Turning Point USA political youth organization. Kirk recently took aim at Fateh over his Muslim identity.
CNN
6 days ago
- 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.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Explained: Who is Somalian-American Omar Fateh - and how he won Democratic nomination of Mayor of Minneapolis
TL;DR: Somali-American State Senator Omar Fateh , a 35-year-old democratic socialist, has won the DFL ( Democratic Party ) endorsement for Mayor of Minneapolis, defeating two-term incumbent Jacob Frey at a chaotic party convention. While Frey remains in the race for the November general election, Fateh's victory signals a growing shift toward progressive and minority-led leadership in urban Democratic strongholds. What happened? Over the weekend, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, Minnesota's branch of the US Democratic Party, held its Minneapolis convention to decide who it would endorse for mayor. After a tumultuous day marked by technical glitches, paper ballots, and a dramatic walkout by Frey supporters, Omar Fateh emerged with the endorsement, receiving over 60% of delegate support by a show-of-hands vote. Why does it matter? This is the first time the Minneapolis DFL has endorsed a candidate in a contested mayoral race since at least 1997. Fateh's win over a well-funded incumbent reflects a growing progressive insurgency within Democratic politics, with young, diverse, left-leaning candidates challenging establishment figures. It's also a sign that Minneapolis voters, especially those involved in party activism, want a break from the status quo. Who is Omar Fateh? A 35-year-old State Senator from District 62 in Minneapolis. First Somali-American and first Muslim elected to the Minnesota State Senate . Member of the Democratic Socialists of America, running on a platform of housing justice, rent stabilisation, police reform, and taxing the wealthy. Often compared to Zohran Mamdani , the New York socialist legislator of similar background and ideology. What happened at the convention? Delegates initially voted via smartphones at the Target Center arena. Technical failures and slow tabulation caused long delays. Frey's campaign claimed the digital voting system broke down. As confusion mounted, Frey supporters walked out, allegedly to deny quorum. Party officials proceeded with a manual badge-raising vote, which Fateh won clearly. Final paper ballots were collected but not fully counted before the convention adjourned. What were the vote numbers? In the only full round of digital voting: Omar Fateh: 43.8% Jacob Frey: 31.5% DeWayne Davis: 19.9% (just shy of advancing) Jazz Hampton: 4% Brenda Short: <1% Fateh gained momentum from second-choice support and crossed the 60% threshold in the in-person vote. Does this mean Fateh is the next mayor? Not yet. The DFL endorsement gives Fateh the backing of the city's dominant political party, but Minneapolis uses ranked-choice voting, and all candidates can still run in the November 4 general election. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo Frey, who lost past DFL endorsements in 2017 and 2021, went on to win both times — thanks in part to high name recognition and fundraising. How did Frey respond? Frey's campaign slammed the convention as 'extremely flawed and irregular' and is expected to appeal to the state-level DFL. His team questioned the legitimacy of the process and has vowed to take their case to city voters, not just party delegates. What's next? Fateh will now try to build momentum from the endorsement, while Frey will likely use his cash advantage and broader electorate appeal to stage a comeback. The stage is set for a classic establishment-vs-progressive battle in one of America's most politically watched cities — still grappling with the legacy of George Floyd, police reform, and economic inequality. And just to be clear — what is the DFL? The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party is the Minnesota affiliate of the US Democratic Party. Formed in 1944 from a merger between the Democrats and the progressive Farmer–Labor Party, the DFL functions as the Democratic Party in Minnesota. So when Fateh wins the DFL endorsement, it means he is now the Democratic Party's chosen candidate — though not the only one on the ballot in November.
UPI
20-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Minneapolis mayor loses party endorsement for November election
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, right, pictured in 2023 during a press conference about an investigation into police conduct in the 2020 murder of George Floyd, lost the the Democratic party's backing in this November's mayoral election to state Sen. Omar Fateh. Photo by Craig Lassig/EPA July 20 (UPI) -- The Minneapolis mayor during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests has lost the backing of the Democratic party to a Somali-American after a contested vote by members of the party. Omar Fateh, 35, a state Senator, won the mayoral endorsement over Jacob Frey, who has held the office since 2018. Fateh is the first Somali-American to serve in the state legislature since 2018 and received 60% of the delegates at the Minneapolis DFL convention Saturday, despite complaints from the Frey campaign about the election process. Frey took issue with electronic balloting at the convention, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and said he would appeal the vote. "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's campaign manager office said in a statement. "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." Frey was elected mayor in 2017 and again in 2021, and was in charge of Minneapolis during the 2020 BLM riots after George Floyd died at the hands of a white police officer.
New York Post
20-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Minneapolis mayor who oversaw BLM riots loses Dem backing to Somali-American socialist
The mayor of Minneapolis — who oversaw the city during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots — has lost the backing of the Dem party to a Somali-American socialist following a contested vote by party members. Omar Fateh, 35, a Minnesota state Senator, won the endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party for Minneapolis mayor over Jacob Frey, who has been in office since 2018. Fateh (MN-62), who is the first Somali American and Muslim to serve in the Minnesota state Senate, received more than 60% of the vote from delegates at the Minneapolis DFL convention late Saturday — despite complaints from the Frey campaign over the election process. 3 Somali American Omar Fateh has been endorsed as the Dem candidate to be Mayor of Minneapolis. Facebook/Omar Fateh Issues with electronic balloting at the convention saw paper ballots brought in, while the final vote was taken via a show of raised badges, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Frey's supporters left the Target Center arena in protest in an attempt to deny the convention a quorum. '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's campaign manager Sam Schulenberg said. 3 Fateh, 35, is the first Muslim to serve in the Minnesota State Senate. Facebook/Omar Fateh '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 said. Frey, who was elected mayor in 2017 and reelected in 2021, was in charge of Minneapolis while the city burned during 2020's BLM riots in the wake of George Floyd's death at the hands of a white police officer in the city. Despite Frey's sops to the left on police reform, his words and actions didn't go far enough for many progressives in the city. 3 Incumbent mayor Jacob Frey's family has slammed the vote. The Washington Post via Getty Images In 2020, Frey was booed and heckled at a demonstration after saying he didn't support defunding the Minneapolis Police Department. Fateh, a Democratic Socialist, ran on a campaign similar to that of New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, calling for rent stabilization, more affordable housing, and higher taxes on the wealthy. 'I am incredibly honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Mayor,' he said on X following his victory.. 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. 'November 4 is around the corner. Join our coalition of voters who share our vision for a Minneapolis where housing is a human right, public safety means sending the right responders, and city government stands for working people, not corporate donors,' he added.
