Businessman Jazz Hampton officially launched his candidacy for Minneapolis mayor on Thursday, Feb. 6 at Mosaic Venue.
The entire City Council and the mayor are up for election in November. There is no primary ahead of the November election as the city uses Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) to elect its mayor and council members. The last race for mayor in 2021 attracted 17 candidates. The Minneapolis City Council is a full-time council with elected members earning $109,846 a year and the mayor $140,814.
The candidate filing period for the city’s 2025 mayoral and council elections will begin on July 25 and run through August 12.
Hampton – the co-founder and CEO of Turnsignl, an app that provides instant access to a lawyer during police stops – announced his campaign via video on Jan. 23.
He joins a list of five others that have already announced their runs, including the incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey, Ward 11 Councilwoman Emily Koski, state Sen. Omar Fateh, Rev. DeWayne Davis and former City Council candidate Brenda Short.
“I’ve lived within ten miles of Powderhorn Park my entire life (and) I love the city of Minneapolis,” Hampton told supporters on Thursday. “If you love the city like I love it, and you’re ready for a new chapter, and you don’t want to try again for a third time, or try again with somebody who’s been an elected official for years and years without the progress we’re hoping to see, let’s give someone new a chance that is experienced as a lawyer, as a business owner, as a public school parent, as a volunteer, and as someone that deeply cares about the community.”
Hampton previously served as one of the attorneys for the Great North Innocence Project that worked to vacate the sentence of Marvin Hayes who was wrongfully convicted for murder when he was 16. He was released on December 2023.
He acknowledged the “best of” ratings that Minneapolis is always winning in terms of places to live in the country when it comes to education and quality of life. However, he pointed out the celebrated quality of life in Minneapolis is not equitable.
“Sometimes I’m so proud when people say, ‘you know, you’ve seen all the studies, Minneapolis top five city to live in, best education’, all these things,” Hampton said. “And sometimes I say, is it for everyone?”
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About Jasmine Webber, Mshale Photojournalist
Jasmine Webber is a photojournalist at Mshale. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota.
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