Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh takes a phone call at the University of Minnesota Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Fateh was endorsed by Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor party this summer, the first endorsement of a Minneapolis mayoral candidate in 16 years, before DFL Chairman Richard Carlbom rescinded the coveted endorsement a month later.
"I am incredibly honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Mayor. 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," Fateh said on X in July.
"After a thoughtful and transparent review of the challenges, the Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee found substantial failures in the Minneapolis Convention’s voting process on July 19th, including an acknowledgment that a mayoral candidate was errantly eliminated from contention. As a result, the Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee has vacated the mayoral endorsement," Carlbom said the following month.
But with the backing of the Twin Cities' chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and "Squad" member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who represents Minneapolis in the U.S. House of Representatives, Fateh's progressive campaign maintained momentum.
There were 15 mayoral candidates on the ballot in Minneapolis Tuesday after the city did not hold a mayoral primary. And while candidates can still identify politically, city races in Minneapolis are officially nonpartisan.
In an attempt to consolidate support against the incumbent frontrunner Frey, Fateh urged his supporters to rank pastor DeWayne Davis and attorney Jazz Hampton as their second and third choices.
A campaign sign for Omar Fateh is displayed near Riverside Plaza in Minneapolis’ Cedar–Riverside neighborhood. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
The last mayor's race took the national stage after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020, triggering national and international protests rejecting police brutality amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who was former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate last year and is up for re-election next year, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., endorsed Frey's campaign this year.
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And Minneapolis was once again in the national spotlight this year.
The city is still reeling from a massacre at a back-to-school Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in August, where two children were killed and 17 others were injured when a shooter opened fire before committing suicide.
Associated Press contributed to this report
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/minneapolis-mayors-race-advances-to-ranked-choice-voting-after-no-candidate-reaches-50