Minneapolis Mayoral Race Heads to Ranked-Choice Voting
In Minneapolis, the mayoral race will proceed to ranked-choice voting since no candidate secured at least 50% of the votes in the recent election, according to reports.
Voters in the city are able to rank three candidates in council elections, with over a dozen candidates competing for the mayoral position.
As of early Wednesday morning, Jacob Frey and Omar Fateh topped the first-choice votes.
This year, Fateh gained national attention, drawing parallels to Zornlan Mamdani’s campaign in New York City. He has been referred to as the “Mamdani of Minneapolis.”
Fateh, the 35-year-old son of Somali immigrants, previously made history as the first Somali-American elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2020. He has directly challenged the incumbent Frey, criticizing him for not adequately addressing the evolving needs of the community.
In the summer, Fateh received an endorsement from the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, marking a significant moment as it was the first endorsement for a Minneapolis mayoral candidate in 16 years. However, a month later, the DFL Chairman, Richard Carlbom, retracted support, citing issues in the earlier voting process.
Fateh stated, “I am honored to be the DFL-endorsed candidate for mayor of Minneapolis. This endorsement sends a message to Minneapolis residents that we are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual.” This was communicated through a post on X in July.
Responding to the withdrawal of support, Carlbom explained that the Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee found several significant errors in the previous convention’s process, including the inadvertent exclusion of a mayoral candidate from the voting discussion.
Nevertheless, Fateh’s progressive agenda has maintained traction, in part supported by the Twin Cities chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and Rep. Ilhan Omar, a member of the “squad” representing Minneapolis in Congress.
On the ballot, 15 candidates were listed for mayor, as there was no primary election held. While candidates can identify politically, city elections remain officially nonpartisan.
To bolster support for Frey, Fateh encouraged his supporters to rank Rev. Dwayne Davis and attorney Jazz Hampton as their second and third choices.
In the ranked-choice voting system in Minneapolis, a candidate needs over 50% of the first-choice votes to win outright. If no candidate reaches a majority, further rounds of counting occur. Candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on the next preferred choices indicated on each ballot. This process continues until a candidate secures a majority.
Historically, every mayoral election in Minneapolis since 2013 has required at least a second round of ranked-choice voting. For example, Frey won his initial election after six rounds in 2017, and he was re-elected in 2021 for a second term.
The most recent mayoral election garnered national attention, especially following George Floyd’s tragic death in 2020 at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, which led to widespread protests against police brutality amid the pandemic.
This year, the city continues to attract national scrutiny, partly due to a tragic shooting incident during a back-to-school Mass at a local church in August, where two children lost their lives, and many were injured.
Governor Tim Walz and Senator Amy Klobuchar have endorsed Frey in his current campaign, and he seeks to navigate a complex political landscape as he aims for another term.
