Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey secured a third term Wednesday, defeating Democratic socialist Omar Fateh and 13 other challengers in the city’s ranked-choice election.
According to The Associated Press, Frey led Fateh by about 10 points after the first round of counting Tuesday but fell short of the 50%-plus-one threshold needed to win outright. Final but unofficial results showed Frey with 50.03% of the vote to Fateh’s 44.37%, improving on his 49.1% finish in 2021.
Under Minneapolis’ ranked-choice system, candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated after each round, and voters’ second and third choices are reallocated until someone crosses the majority mark.
Frey, a mainstream Democrat, and Fateh, a Democratic state senator and democratic socialist, topped the 15-candidate field. The Rev. DeWayne Davis and businessman Jazz Hampton also drew notable support.
“From right now through my final seconds as mayor, I will work tirelessly to make our great city a place where everyone, regardless of who you are or where you come from, can build a brilliant life in an affordable home and a safe neighborhood,” Frey said in a statement.
Fateh congratulated Frey, saying, “They may have won this race, but we have changed the narrative about what kind of city Minneapolis can be.” He added that “truly affordable housing, workers’ rights, and public safety rooted in care” are now central to the city’s political conversation.
Fateh, Davis, and Hampton had urged their supporters to rank one another and not Frey, but the strategy fell short.
Frey has led Minneapolis since 2018, including through the unrest following George Floyd’s 2020 murder. His administration has since worked with state and federal officials to reform the city’s police department, which lost hundreds of officers after Floyd’s death.
Fateh had hoped to become the city’s first Muslim and Somali American mayor. Minneapolis has the largest Somali population in the United States.
Officials said more than 147,000 residents voted — the highest turnout ever for a city election — with 55% of registered voters participating. The City Council will certify the results Monday.
In neighboring St. Paul, Democratic state Rep. Kaohly Her defeated incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter after trailing in the first round. She will become the first woman and first Hmong American mayor of Minnesota’s capital city, which also has an all-female City Council.
