Just as we were absorbing the shock of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, another extreme candidate has secured victory — this time in the Minneapolis mayoral race.
State Sen. Omar Fateh won the endorsement of Minnesota’s Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) on Saturday night. (The DFL is the Minnesota affiliate of the national Democratic Party.)
Fateh was one of five candidates, including incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey, competing for the nomination.
Minneapolis DFL Chair John Maraist confirmed to KSTP-TV 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Fateh “won the party’s endorsement through a show of badges.”
Afterward, Frey’s campaign manager released the following statement:
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. 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’s campaign told KSTP that they plan “to submit a challenge to the DFL.”
Earlier in the day, KSTP reported:
About 800 delegates were preparing to cast their votes at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.To win the party’s endorsement, a candidate must receive 60% of the votes, meaning the DFL City Convention could adjourn at 10 p.m. without a mayoral endorsement, which would not be uncommon….Sen. Fateh received a video-recorded endorsement from fellow state Sen. John Hoffman, who has been recovering at a rehabilitation center after he was shot in June during a targeted attack.Residents supporting Fateh praised him as a backer of union workers and humane homeless response policies.
KSTP acknowledged that “an endorsement of Fateh … would create a unique moment for the city’s DFL Party, possibly signaling a further shift for the party.”
Delegate Colton Baldus told KSTP, “People are starting to accept, you know, some more socialist and more, you know, to the left politics, which, in my view, is a good thing. It’s a progressive thing.”
“It means that we’re starting to, I don’t know, put our weight in, and become more and more, you know, worker-centered in our politics, and I think that’s a very good thing,” Baldus added.
Fateh kicked off his campaign last week with the following video:
I’m ready to work hard to, one, build a Minneapolis that working people can afford to call home. Two, protect our city from a hostile White House, and three, diversify our city’s public safety.By increasing the minimum wage to $20 by 2028 and passing rent stabilization to stop price gouging and incentivizing new construction, we can protect workers.Protecting all of our communities from Donald Trump is not letting MPD interact with ICE, whether it’s for an immigration raid or not. Our residents deserve a mayor that will stand up to Donald Trump and say, “No, not in our community.”Did you know that the city’s own data showed that 47% of calls to MPD can be diverted to non police response? Cops aren’t social workers. Investments in programs like these ensure that the appropriate response arrives when we call 911 and we can actually free up resources to focus on violent crime that detracts from community safety.
In her coverage of Fateh’s campaign launch, Mary Chastain wrote that Fateh’s platform mirrors Mamdani’s.
She added, “In case you’re wondering, yes, Fateh admires Mamdani. Fateh celebrated Mamdani’s primary win by promoting himself for Minneapolis mayor.”
It seems the Democratic Socialist Party is set on transforming America, one city at a time.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY