Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey won a third, four-year term leading the largest city in the North Star State. According to election results from the city, Frey bested State Sen. Omar Fateh in the second round of ranked-choice voting by nearly six points.
On election night, results from the first round of Minneapolis’ ranked-choice voting system showed Frey with 41.7% of the vote to Fateh’s 31.6%. After the other mayoral contenders were eliminated from the ballot in the second round, ballots were recounted and showed Frey had won with 50.03% of the vote.
After the results were announced by the city, Fateh conceded, saying: “While this wasn’t the outcome we wanted, I am incredibly grateful to every single person who supported our grassroots campaign. I’ll keep fighting alongside you to build the city we deserve. Onward.”
The 2025 Minneapolis mayoral election quickly became a fierce contest about the future of the DFL. While both Frey and Fateh are left-wing members of the party, Frey was generally regarded as the more establishment choice and Fateh was considered a radical change.
Frey, who received the backing of Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, portrayed himself as more business friendly and more public safety friendly than his opponent. The two-term mayor pledged to hire over 150 new police officers and keep taxes as low as possible.
Meanwhile, Fateh had drawn comparisons to Zohran Mamdani who was elected mayor of New York City last night. Like Mamdani, Fateh is Muslim and supported by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Fateh was endorsed by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
Challenging Frey, Fateh said the mayor had “failed to house our unsheltered neighbors, failed to implement meaningful reforms to police, and he has vetoed one good solution after another.”
The Trump administration was a frequent topic of debate during the campaign. Frey ran on platform of “standing up to a hostile federal government” while Fateh supported a petition calling on Minneapolis police to arrest federal agents who wear masks in the city.
Frey has said his third term will be his final term as Minneapolis mayor. Fateh, who still holds a seat in the Minnesota Senate, will be up for reelection in 2026 should he seek a third Senate term.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
