The Minneapolis branch of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) endorsed state Senator Omar Fateh for mayor on July 19, marking the first time they had issued such an endorsement in sixteen years. However, controversy and chaos ensued, and the endorsement was rescinded, revealing deeper tensions within the Democratic Party.
The Minneapolis mayoral election is scheduled to take place on November 4, with early voting beginning on September 19. Fifteen candidates met the filing deadline to run for mayor, including incumbent mayor Jacob Frey, who is seeking his third term. Yet, when the Minneapolis DFL held their citywide endorsing convention this July, democratic socialist Omar Fateh won the endorsement over Frey, in an upset. The Minneapolis DFL mayoral endorsement is considered a major asset to the candidate who receives it, both due to its rarity and the money and resources it provides.
Following the endorsement, Frey’s campaign submitted a challenge to the DFL, stating that there was a high number of uncounted votes due to flaws with the electronic voting system used at the convention. After investigation, failures were found in the Minneapolis Convention’s voting process, resulting in nearly 200 missing votes. The endorsement of Fateh was rescinded, and the Minneapolis DFL was placed on a two-year probation and rendered unable to endorse a candidate for mayor this year.
Afterwards, a group of local and state leaders, including U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, condemned the DFL’s decision, some going so far as to blame Frey’s campaign for foul play. A statement from Fateh reads, “Twenty-eight party insiders voted to take away our endorsement behind closed doors… Frey’s team used every tactic they could, including delay and confusion on convention day, because they didn’t have the votes. We see this for what it is—disenfranchisement of thousands of Minneapolis caucus goers and the delegates who represented all of us on convention day.” A statement from Frey’s campaign, on the other hand, says, “I am proud to be a member of a party that believes in correcting our mistakes, and I am glad that this inaccurate and obviously flawed process was set aside.”
Fateh had drawn comparisons to New York City mayoral candidate and fellow democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani following his initial endorsement. He represents a different wing of the Democratic party than Frey, who is more moderate. Both the Minneapolis and New York City mayoral races represent broader battles and tensions within the Democratic party over how it should move forward following losses in last year’s elections.
