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State Senator Omar Fateh, a democratic socialist, recently achieved a rare political victory when he secured the endorsement of the Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) for his mayoral run. This was significant because no Minneapolis mayoral candidate had received such backing since 2009. The endorsement positioned him as a strong challenger against the city’s current mayor, Jacob Frey.
But Fateh’s win was quickly overshadowed. On Thursday, Minnesota’s Democratic Party leaders took the unusual step of withdrawing the endorsement, citing major failures in how the local convention was run. According to party officials, the Minneapolis DFL convention suffered from serious technical problems and mishandled procedures that made the results unreliable.
The decision was a major setback for Fateh, 35, who has gained national attention as part of a growing wave of young progressive politicians. His campaign mirrors the political energy seen in other cities, such as New York, where figures like Zohran Mamdani have upset establishment candidates with a platform focused on affordable housing, rent control, and rethinking public safety. Like Mamdani, Fateh is a democratic socialist, Muslim, and of African heritage, which has drawn further interest to his campaign.
Mayor Jacob Frey, 44, a centrist Democrat running for a third term, had challenged the fairness of the Minneapolis DFL convention. Frey argued that the process was deeply flawed, and on Thursday, party leaders agreed. In a statement, Frey said he was proud his party took action to correct what he called an inaccurate process.
Fateh’s campaign, however, saw the reversal differently. Graham Faulkner, one of his campaign co-managers, said the decision was unfair to thousands of Minneapolis residents who participated in the convention. He accused party leaders of trying to silence grassroots voices, suggesting that the political establishment felt threatened by Fateh’s progressive platform.
The Minneapolis DFL convention is usually a decisive moment for local politics. Because the city leans heavily Democratic, the party’s endorsement can provide crucial advantages, including access to voter databases, resources, and added legitimacy. Minneapolis mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan and do not involve primaries, meaning the DFL endorsement carries significant weight.
Party leaders explained that several major problems occurred during the convention. First, an online voting system failed, which caused a “substantial undercount” in the initial round of votes. This error unfairly eliminated a third candidate, DeWayne Davis, from continuing in the race. The review also found that a registration check-in sheet was not properly secured, leaving room for ballot identification numbers to be changed or deleted.
Although the review did not accuse any candidate or campaign of misconduct, the problems were serious enough to discredit the final results. Ultimately, Fateh won the endorsement through a late-night vote conducted by a show of badges rather than through normal balloting procedures. This unusual process raised further questions about transparency.
In response, the Minnesota DFL not only revoked Fateh’s endorsement but also placed the Minneapolis DFL on probation for two years. Party officials said the Minneapolis chapter had a recent history of chaotic conventions, some of which had even ended in disputes or violence. They stressed that this step was necessary to restore trust in the party’s local operations.
For Fateh, the loss of the endorsement is a significant challenge as he seeks to unseat Mayor Frey in November’s election. Frey has already raised far more campaign money and has the advantage of incumbency. Fateh, however, still has the support of progressive activists who believe his vision of higher taxes on the wealthy, stricter rent controls, and investment in affordable housing represents the change Minneapolis needs.
Whether the setback will derail Fateh’s campaign remains uncertain. His team insists they will continue to fight, framing the issue as a battle between grassroots democracy and entrenched political interests. Meanwhile, Mayor Frey is working to strengthen his standing as the more experienced leader who guided the city through the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing in 2020, a period that brought Minneapolis into the global spotlight.
The Minneapolis mayoral election will be held in November, and while it is technically nonpartisan, the battle over the DFL endorsement shows how deeply party politics continue to shape the city’s future.