Minneapolis Democrats endorse democratic socialist for mayor over incumbent [View all]

Omar Fateh’s endorsement gives momentum to progressive left’s rise after Zohran Mamdani’s primary win in New York

Rachel Leingang in Minneapolis
Mon 21 Jul 2025 14.21 EDT


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.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/21/omar-fateh-minneapolis-mayor-endorsements

Power to the people.