MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota State Rep. Raymond Dehn (D-Minneapolis) is falling behind in contributions to his campaign for mayor of Minneapolis.
Dehn, had a strong showing at the Minneapolis DFL Convention and received the support of prominent local politicians like fellow State Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minneapolis). He also gathered the most votes and became a front-runner in the race, but has failed at fundraising.
For the year, Dehn has only raised $54,702, with less than $20,000 on hand. This is compared to Minneapolis Council Member Jacob Frey who raised $359,879 with almost $300,000 on hand, Mayor Betsy Hodges, who raised $204,138 with $58,000 on hand, Tom Hoch, who raised $227,172 and loaned himself another $226,000, has $145,000 on hand. Nekima Levy-Pounds does not have a report in as of Friday morning.
Dehn’s prospects as the next mayor of Minneapolis have dwindled slowly and his lackluster fundraising may be due in part to strong statements he made about disarming the police.
As reported by Alpha News, Dehn took a strong stance against members of law enforcement, calling for them to be disarmed in the wake of the officer-involved shooting death of Justine Damond which led to the resignation of Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau.
“Crime is not a product of individual morality but the consequence of scarcity in our society,” Dehn said in a press release. “We must divest resources, disarm officers, and dismantle the inherent violence of our criminal justice system which continues to uphold white supremacy. Our approach to public safety must reflect a belief that our communities are safer when they have housing, clean air and water, access to education and employment, and quality healthcare.”
Since then, Dehn has doubled down on the controversial statement. On Friday, Dehn tweeted about getting an endorsement from the group Our Revolution.
“Dehn will lead on de-militarization and training police in de-escalation. We’re proud to endorse his campaign for Mayor. –@OurRevolution”
In an interview with Black Republican Black Democrat, Dehn was questioned about his statements on disarming the police.
“I think this is a critical conversation,” Dehn said. “The use of force and the use of guns, create unfortunately, a lot of mistrust in the community and it makes some folks, actually afraid of police.”
That conversation can be heard here.
Listen to “Mayoral Candidate Raymond Dean” on Spreaker.
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Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.
