Midwest Mamdani Fails In Bid To Turn Minneapolis Socialist

Minnesota state Sen. Omar Fateh, a far-left candidate for Minneapolis mayor who drew comparisons to Zohran Mamdani, came up short in his effort to cement the city as a socialist stronghold.

The Associated Press called the race for incumbent Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday afternoon, after final round results were tabulated using ranked choice voting (RCV). In the first round of balloting, Frey had received 41.7% of the vote compared with Fateh’s 31.6%, with other candidates splitting the remaining vote, according to the AP.

When RCV was tabulated, Frey had 53.0% of the vote to Fateh’s 47.0%.

Frey, an establishment-backed Democrat running for a third term, faced 14 challengers in the mayoral election, some of whom argued the incumbent was not progressive enough. The incumbent mayor’s victory is likely to be viewed as a notable defeat for the Democratic Party’s far-left flank despite socialists securing a massive achievement in New York City with Mamdani’s win.

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz —the party’s failed 2024 vice presidential nominee — and Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar both endorsed Frey for reelection. Meanwhile, Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan