Minnesota State Senate Minority Leader Jeff Hayden lost his DFL endorsement by 73%, Thursday, to self described Socialist, Omar Fateh.
Fateh is a 29-year-old child of Somali-American immigrants who has not previously held office. Hayden has been involved in Minnesota politics since 2001, and has held office in St. Paul since 2009. Fateh beat out Hayden for the nomination in a controversial, potentially compromised, election that was held online amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, per Sahan Journal.
Congratulations to @OmarFatehMN for earning the DFL Endorsement with 73% of delegates supporting him! One step closer to becoming the Senator of SD 62 in November! pic.twitter.com/PSslv6CBg5
ā Minnesota Young DFL (@MYDFL) May 7, 2020
If elected to the State Senate in 2020, Fateh promises to raise the minimum wage to $15, require Minnesota to use “100% renewable energy by 2030,” institute socialized medicine that funds “transgender healthcare” and provide driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, per his campaign website.
He also hopes to “divest” from all fossil fuel related industry and discourage the use of “personal automobiles.”
Amidst the coronavirus Fateh has spoken out in support of a rent freeze, a position widely supported by the Democratic Socialist Party of America, which has endorsed the young progressive.
Twin Cities DSA proudly endorses Omar Fateh for Minnesota Senate, District 62 pic.twitter.com/XVh403wS0p
ā Twin Cities DSA š¹ (@TwinCitiesDSA) March 21, 2020
Another progressive, Esther Agbaje, also ousted longtime State Representative Raymond Dehn, nabbing the DFL nomination from the long time indumbent.
However, both Dehn and Hayden say they’re not out of the fight for office yet.
Hayden has described the online nomination process that lost him the Democratic nomination as “very flawed,” according to Sahan. “Iām really, really concerned about voter integrity,” he adds.
The State Senate Minority Leader has not yet decided if he will challenge the endorsement, opting to run against his socialist opponent without the blessing of the party. He has also considered challenging Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in her primary this summer.
Dehn says he’ll announce in coming days whether or not he’ll challenge Agbaje.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
