By Ethan Buhrow & Colton Baldus\People’s World
Photos: Omar Fateh\YouTube Screenshot
MINNEAPOLIS—After more than 12 grueling hours inside the Target Center, the Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party made history on Saturday, July 19, endorsing State Sen. Omar Fateh for mayor—the first such endorsement in a Minneapolis mayoral race since 2009. He beat out two-term incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey in the endorsement contest at the DFL convention.
The mainstream media has taken to calling Fateh the “Minnesota Mamdani,” drawing parallels between his campaign and that of Zohran Mamdani, who recently beat former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary in New York City. The two millennial-generation Democratic Socialists are changing the image of progressive politics, both having edged out establishment figures with long political careers.
Fateh was the first Somali American and Muslim elected to the state senate in 2020. During his two terms, he has chaired the Higher Education Committee and made a name for himself as the lead sponsor of a plan to make college free for families who make less than $80,000 a year.
As was the case in New York, affordability is the central theme of Fateh’s platform. A renter himself, he says that his job as a state senator and possible future mayor is to serve the needs of working people.
“We’ll shovel sidewalks, build shelters, and finally re-open public spaces,” he pledged on X recently. “I’m here to fight for the people this city’s left behind.” READ MORE…
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