As far-left as Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is, he’s not a declared socialist. The two-term incumbent must have had the shock of his life when Somali-American State Sen. Omar Fateh, a Democratic Socialist, won the endorsement of Minnesota’s Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) at the City Convention on Saturday night. (The DFL is the Minnesota affiliate of the national Democratic Party.)
On Monday afternoon, Frey’s campaign filed an appeal with the Minnesota (state) DFL “asking for an expedited emergency review of the Minneapolis DFL’s convention process,” according to local media outlet KARE 11. The campaign claims that “flaws in the Minneapolis DFL’s electronic voting system led to Senator Fateh’s endorsement.”
KARE notes that although the endorsement does not guarantee Fateh’s victory in the general election, it is significant because, “[i]n the absence of a primary … it means he will receive more party resources on the campaign trail.”
There may actually be more to Frey’s appeal than sour grapes. The Minneapolis Times reported that the Frey campaign’s challenge to the endorsement is “one of several being filed by other candidates for citywide offices, former state DFL Chair Mike Erlandson, and other delegates to the Minneapolis DFL City Convention.”
Local journalist Kyle Stokes reported that Frey’s challenge “centers on the assertion that some delegates’ ballots almost certainly weren’t counted at Saturday’s convention.”
According to KARE, the Frey campaign argues:
[T]he new electronic balloting system used by the Minneapolis DFL resulted in 578 total votes on the first ballot for mayoral endorsement, which they say is “implausible” based on the total number of delegates attending the convention. The campaign has asked the state party to not only invalidate the Minneapolis DFL endorsement of Fateh, but also to provide “equal access” to the crucial state DFL databases that endorsed candidates receive.
The appeal states:
By far the most egregious failure of this convention was the fact that hundreds of votes were missing or uncounted in mayoral balloting due to the breakdown of the electronic voting system which the Minneapolis DFL and Convention leadership acknowledged was highly flawed.
The entire appeal can be viewed in the post below.
KARE 11 reached out to the city’s DFL Party for comment. Minneapolis DFL Chair Emerita Briana Rose Lee responded with the following statement:
The Minneapolis DFL stands by our endorsement process.All campaigns were fully involved in the planning process in the months leading up to convention and all convention day decisions, including observing all ballot tabulations. Minneapolis DFL Volunteers worked incredibly hard to ensure a fair process for all involved, and we are proud to have a DFL Mayoral endorsement to support for the November election.
KARE also contacted the Minnesota DFL. A party spokesperson told the media outlet, “Since the State Party may need to ultimately adjudicate challenges that have emerged from the Minneapolis DFL’s city convention, we will not be commenting as they work their way through the process to preserve our impartiality.”
Frey is best known for his weak, inadequate leadership following the death of George Floyd in May 2020.
There’s no denying Minneapolis has declined under Frey’s watch. But let’s be honest: swapping out Frey for Fateh isn’t trading up — it’s a downgrade with consequences. As flawed as the current administration may be, handing Minneapolis over to Fateh’s brand of socialism would only deepen its problems. Under Frey, the city is limping. Under Fateh, it could collapse.
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.
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