Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, had some harsh words for Rep. Ilhan Omar after she narrowly escaped defeat in a Tuesday primary against Frey’s preferred candidate.
Frey said the “massive” 20-point shift should send a message to Omar, who defeated Don Samuels by just two points. In 2020, Omar won the Fifth District’s Democratic primary by 20 points.
“That should send a message to any elected official that they have to work with a broad set of their constituents. They have to work with everyone,” Frey told Fox 9 after the election.
“Most importantly, it’s not just about sending out vitriolic tweets and being mean-spirited. It’s about working with people. It’s about partnering on some of the most controversial issues that we have. That’s why I supported Don,” he added.
The rift between Omar and Frey, both members of the Minnesota DFL, began in 2021 when they came down on opposite sides of a ballot initiative to replace the Minneapolis Police Department. Omar, who represents Minneapolis in Congress, said the city’s police department can’t be reformed because it is “rotten to the root.”
Now, Omar is criticizing Frey for failing to provide “adequate safety” for the city of Minneapolis.
“So wait a second. Congresswoman Omar is telling us that we need to be providing adequate safety? This is the person that literally called out to defund and get rid of the police. This is the person that said defunding the police was a policy decision and then doubled down on it again and again and again. I’ve heard it firsthand, repeatedly. That same person is talking to us about improving public safety?” Frey responded.
The mayor said he doesn’t expect Omar to change her beliefs but hopes she can learn to work with others “as opposed to just making it about yourself.”
“We’ve even gone to visit her in D.C. and she’s stood up meetings. It’s unfortunate,” he added.
Omar responded to Frey’s comments on Twitter, calling the mayor “incompetent” and “childish.”
😂 our incompetent Mayor gets upset when we talk about his failures, but as the Mayor he is solely in charge of our city, it’s police & public safety.
No matter how much media covers for him, people know our city is suffering because of his poor leadership and childish behavior. https://t.co/VBoRmMAb93
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 10, 2022
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
