Politics Mayor Jacob Frey challenges Minneapolis DFL's endorsement of Omar Fateh in mayoral race

[lostincalifornia]

Last edited Tue Jul 22, 2025, 06:28 PM - Edit history (1)

"The campaign for Mayor Jacob Frey is challenging the Minneapolis DFL endorsement of his rival, Minnesota Sen. Omar Fateh.

According to a news release from Frey's campaign, the challenge was filed with the Minnesota DFL on Monday.

The Minneapolis DFL endorsed Fateh at its convention on Saturday. In order to win an endorsement, a candidate must receive 60% of the votes.

The Frey campaign said there were an "extraordinarily high number of missing or uncounted votes produced by the highly flawed and untested electronic voting system."

"Only 578 votes were recorded in the mayoral ballot conducted using the electronic balloting system, despite the fact that over 1,000 delegates and alternates were checked in at the time of the first ballot," the campaign said in the release."

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/mayor-frey-challenge-dfl-endorsement-omar-fateh/

What I fail to understand is why someone refuses to be labeled as a Democrat, yet wants all the advantages that an endorsement from the DEMOCRATIC PARTY GIVES.

"Minneapolis Democrats endorse democratic socialist for mayor over incumbent

"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

[Incanus]

1. You do realize that both DFL candidates are Democrats, right?

Omar Fateh didn't refuse anything, he's a Democrat and a member of the Minnesota senate.

[lostincalifornia]

7. That isn't how he identifies himself

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

[Incanus]

9. Where in that article does it say he refuses to identify as a Democrat?

It says he "won his party’s endorsement for the Minneapolis mayoral race"

Nothing in there about running as anything other than a DFL Democrat which he already is.

[lostincalifornia]

13. The Guardian article said the Minneapolis Democrats endorsed a Democratic Socialist, because that

is what he identifies as.

Are you saying the Guardian is misreporting?

[Incanus]

16. Do we really have to explain this again? This is getting tiresome.

Many Democrats are democratic socialists, AOC is probably the most well known, are you saying AOC isn't a Democrat?

Omar Fateh is the DFL (Democratic) candidate, he ran as a DFL (Democratic) candidate and is a DFL (Democratic) member of the Minnesota senate. If you want to claim he "refuses" to identify as a DFL (Democratic) candidate then you need to provide evidence for your assertion.

[obamanut2012]

21. I am a Democratic Socialist and a Democrat

DFL are Democrats

[Celerity]

25. you are confusing a political philosophy (democratic socialism) for a political party (the DFL) nt

[ForgoTheConsequence]

2. He doesn't refuse to be labeled as a Democrat.

He serves in the state senate as a member of the DFL party. Next smear tactic, please.

[lostincalifornia]

8. He identifies himself as a Democratic Socialist, not a Democrat

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

[obamanut2012]

22. You can be both. I am both

[Celerity]

26. you are confusing a political philosophy (democratic socialism) for a political party (the DFL) nt

[ForgoTheConsequence]

29. I identify as a Social Democrat.

But I am also a member of the Democratic Party. It's a philosophy, not a party. I thought we were a big tent?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. How did the Democratic party endorse him then?

[lostincalifornia]

6. He identifies himself as a Democratic Socialist, not a Democrat.

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

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. DSA doesn't have a ballot line, so he's a DFLer. The party doesn't have a problem with it, so why do you?

[lostincalifornia]

12. I said he identifies himself as a Democratic Socialist, not a Democrat. So the Guardian article is BS

[WhiskeyGrinder]

14. What Guardian article?

He does in fact call himself a Democratic Socialist. But that doesn't mean he can't run as a DFLer. People describe themselves as different things all the time, but still have to pick a party to run under.

[lostincalifornia]

15. Here:

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

"Minneapolis Democrats endorse democratic socialist for mayor over incumbent

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.”

My error, I should have included it in the OP.

Thanks

[WhiskeyGrinder]

17. Okay so? He's a DFLer and a Democratic Socialist. The DSA doesn't have ballot status. It's not a party. Someone who's a

union Electrician or considers themselves a p/Progressive can get more support running with a major party rather than the Union Party or Sparky Party or Progressive Party, so they pick one to screen with, and if that party likes them, they get the endorsement. That's how big tents work.

[Celerity]

27. you are confusing a political philosophy (democratic socialism) for a political party (the DFL) nt

[obamanut2012]

4. DFL are Democrats -- Tim Walz and Peggy Flanagan are also DFL

Do you think Tim Walz isn't Democratic?

[lostincalifornia]

5. DFL is the Democratic Party in Minnesota. I am talking about the candidate. According to this he identifies

as a Democratic Socialist:

"Minneapolis Democrats endorse democratic socialist for mayor over incumbent

"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

[obamanut2012]

23. Are you doing this on purpose?

I am not being snarky, i am serious.

Why the heck are you literally refusing to understand this?

[Celerity]

28. you are confusing a political philosophy (democratic socialism) for a political party (the DFL) nt

[SocialDemocrat61]

10. For those unaware DFL stands for

Democratic-Farmer-Labor party

[msongs]

18. when what you really want to be does not raise enough $$$ masquerade as something else nt

[SocialDemocrat61]

19. I was just defining DFL

for those not familiar with Minnesota. I don't know anything about it to comment

[WhiskeyGrinder]

20. He's not masquerading. He's a DFLer.

[obamanut2012]

24. How is he masquerading??? He is literally a dfl member

I am also a Democratic Socialist. I am also a Democrat.

[lees1975]

30. Here's the real problem.

He is a Muslim. He's a native born American citizen, but he is of Somali descent. So there is bigotry and hatred and this is yet another demonstration of just how ignorant, selfish and stupid some Americans can be. Would there be a problem if he were of German descent, and a Lutheran? Or Irish and Catholic?

He won the endorsement by the rules. Let's see what the voters do in the election.

And as far as being a Democratic socialist, well, so am I, and that doesn't make me any less a Democrat. I'm also a Quaker and Irish.

[Incanus]

31. Well said.

This is just another way of saying Omar Fateh's "not one of us".

[Polybius]

32. I think the pushback isn't because of his race

But because he's challenging an incumbent and is a Democratic Socialist. If he were DLC/establishment and black, and the seat was open, I don't think there would be any pushback.

[JanMichael]

33. Wow this is a real tomato v potato mashup.