Minneapolis ready for first Somali-American mayor?

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Thousands of the residents of Minnesota will be voting for their candidates in the Minneapolis Mayoral race, with prospects emerging of the first Somali-American politician likely to win, in a tightly contested race within the Democratic Party zone.

Omar Mahmood Fateh has waged a serious campaign to clinch the seat, getting the much-needed support from his compatriot and seasoned Minnesota 5th District Representative Ilhan Omar, who has been appearing in his campaigns.

As voting starts on Tuesday, Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia, backed Fateh, maintaining that he is the best candidate to transform the city, given his deep knowledge of matters of leadership despite his relatively young age.

"Omar Fateh has transformed our state, passing bills to ensure that anyone earning $80,000 or less can attend college for free. Uber and Lyft drivers are given fair wages. Legalization of fentanyl test strips, saving lives. That’s the leader our city deserves. Vote Omar Fateh," she said.

"Our city needs a leader who will transform Minneapolis and make it work for everyone — not just the wealthy and well-connected. Let’s build a city that works for all of us."

Born in 1990, Omar Mahmood Fateh is an American politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) and represents District 62, which includes parts of southwest Minneapolis in Hennepin County.

Fateh is the first Somali American and Muslim to serve in the Minnesota Senate. He was the DFL-endorsed candidate in the 2025 Minneapolis mayoral election until the party revoked the endorsement.

According to reports, Fifteen candidates are running for the seat, including incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, who is not term-limited and can seek a third term in office, and state Sen. Omar Fateh, who describes himself as a Democratic socialist and has been described in news reportes as “Mamdani of the Midwest,” referring to New York Mayoral candidate and fellow Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani.

Minneapolis implemented ranked choice voting in 2009. According to the nonpartisan organization FairVote, the voting structure allows voters to pick their top three preferred candidates. If a voter’s first choice does not win, their vote automatically counts for their next choice, News Nation reports.

Frey has received the endorsements of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, while Rep. Ilhan Omar backs Fateh.

One of the biggest concerns among voters in Minneapolis has been police staffing. Following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, calls for the city to defund the police started to grow. Frey has criticized the measure and told NPR he would never implement it.

Fateh said Frey has “failed to implement meaningful reforms to police, and has vetoed one good solution after another.” One of his campaign promises includes funding public services to help residents going through a crisis.

Polls close in Minneapolis at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Follow election results in the Minneapolis mayoral race in the tracker below:

"I'm honored to be endorsed by Representative Ro Khanna. He supports rent stabilization and cost reductions, which I know will make MPLS more affordable and accountable. "Hope everyone votes tomorrow!" We agree," Fateh said.