State Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, is making waves on social media as he continues his bid for Minneapolis mayor, but much of the attention probably isn’t what he hoped for.
Fateh, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), is leaning hard into the left wing of the Democratic Party with many seeing similarities to Zohran Mamdani, a socialist who won a stunning victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City earlier this year.
Since Mamdani’s victory in June, the Minneapolis chapter of the DSA declared Fateh’s mayoral run to be the next battlefront in advancing their socialist agenda.
On Sunday, Fateh released a video in which he pledged to increase the minimum wage to $20, establish a rent freeze, and “protect our city from a hostile White House.” He also called for “not letting MPD interact with ICE, whether it’s for an immigration raid or not.”
My name is Omar Fateh, and I’m running for Minneapolis Mayor because for working people, it’s getting harder to build our lives in this city we love. To make an affordable Minneapolis that works for everyone, we need a Mayor that works as hard as we do. I’m ready to get to work. pic.twitter.com/CzYkmgKfxQ
— Omar Fateh (@OmarFatehMN) July 13, 2025
That video has since gone viral with nearly 9 million views on X and kicked off a firestorm of commentary about Fateh’s campaign.
“Muslims are commanded to take over the government in the land they live,” Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said about Fateh, who is Muslim. “The attempted Islamic takeover of America is made possible thanks to mass migration.”
Fateh and incumbent Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey denounced Kirk’s statement, with Fateh describing the message as “hate,” and Frey saying, “Fateh is a proud American who is running because, like me, he loves Minneapolis. I’m proud that Minneapolis is a place where he can run for mayor against me on his own merits — and that this kind of bigotry is widely rejected across our great city.”
Despite this, the recent flurry of posts about Fateh’s mayoral candidacy has led to the state senator receiving attention from many prominent social media accounts, including End Wokeness, who posted a video of Fateh in which he refers to Somalia as “home” multiple times.
Mass migration from the third world must be stopped. We are committing suicide. https://t.co/k94prdmwZx
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 15, 2025
Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert also weighed in on Fateh’s candidacy, saying she hopes the people of Minneapolis “are wise enough not to let [Fateh] anywhere near the Mayor’s office.”
Breitbart editor-in-chief Alex Marlow said on his show this week that “every bad idea you’ve ever heard of is embodied by this guy,” referring to Fateh.
“There’s just no end to the leftism,” said Marlow, whose outlet described Fateh as the “Minneapolis Mamdani.”
Fateh’s progressive and controversial record
In 2021, Fateh supported an effort to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a new “department of public safety.” That ballot amendment was rejected overwhelmingly by Minneapolis voters. He was the chief author of an unsuccessful bill to make Minnesota a “sanctuary state” for illegal immigrants.
The DFLer’s career in politics has been marked by various controversies, including his receipt of $11,000 in campaign contributions from individuals connected to the Feeding Our Future scandal, which Fateh said he later returned.
In 2022, Fateh’s brother-in-law was convicted of lying to a grand jury about his handling of absentee ballots during Fateh’s 2020 primary campaign, Sahan Journal reported.
Fateh was also the subject of a Senate ethics investigation and ordered to participate in campaign finance training after failing to disclose $1,000 in campaign payments to Somali TV Minnesota.
Another ethics complaint was filed against him in 2023 when he suggested on the Senate floor that his Republican colleagues look like terrorists.
Sen. Omar Fateh said his Republican colleagues look like terrorists on the Senate floor. pic.twitter.com/RNFAbhg1Fy
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) February 22, 2023
A city at a crossroads
This November, Minneapolis will elect a mayor and a city council.
Mayor Frey is running for a third term and has consistently been at odds with the more progressive city council during his tenure. Some members of the Minneapolis City Council identify as members of the DSA and are supporting Fateh.
This weekend, the Minneapolis DFL will hold its endorsing convention to determine which candidates will receive the DFL endorsement for mayor and city council.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
