The Minnesota DFL’s Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee (CBRC), on Thursday revoked the historic endorsement of state Sen. Omar Fateh as the party’s nominee for Minneapolis Mayor following a challenge from current mayor Jacob Frey.
Fateh on July 19 received the required 60 percent of delegates at the Minneapolis DFL convention to secure the endorsement, the first time in 16 years that a candidate was able to garner enough votes to receive the coveted endorsement.
The Frey campaign within days launched a formal challenge to the state party, citing an “extraordinarily high number of missing or uncounted votes produced by the highly flawed and untested electronic voting system.”
Yesterday, Minnesota DFL chair Richard Carlbom, released the findings of the CBRC, saying “After a thoughtful and transparent review of the challenges, the Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee found substantial failures in the Minneapolis Convention’s voting process on July 19, including an acknowledgement that a mayoral candidate was errantly eliminated from contention.”
The mayor of a suburban St. Paul city however disagreed with the state party’s decision, saying on X that “It was clear, crystal-clear Fateh had the vast majority of support in the room, his supporters filled 2 entire sections. Frey’s didn’t even fill one.”
Mayor Zach Lindstrom of Mounds View said he was the sergeant-at-arms at the convention that handed Fateh the endorsement, and is therefore “unbiased in this race.”
“So, believe me when I tell you Fateh is getting screwed,” Lindstrom said. “I’m very disappointed that this happened to him. I saw with my own eyes someone who clearly had the room and for him to get rugged is just another reason the party approval is at an all-time low and hemorrhaging support.”
I was at this convention as Sargent at Arms, in fact this was the first convention I have ever attended. People that know me know that I call it straight and I don’t mix words. I’m also unbiased in this race. So believe me when I tell you Fateh is getting screwed. It was clear,… https://t.co/dIytPAR81M
— Mayor Zach Lindstrom (@MoundsViewMayor) August 21, 2025
Numerous other leaders across the state echoed Lindstrom’s sentiments, including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar who represents Minneapolis in Congress.
Mayor Frey on his part hailed the decision by the state DFL, saying in a statement that “”I am proud to be a member of a party that believes in correcting our mistakes, and I am glad that this inaccurate and obviously flawed process was set aside.”
Frey is serving his second term as Mayor and by going for a third term is trying to join former Mayors RT Rybak and Don Fraser as the longest serving. Rybak served for three terms while Fraser was mayor the longest at 14 years. In Fraser’s first term, mayoral terms were two years before it was changed to four years – he went on to win three 4-year terms.
Fateh was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2020, becoming the first Somali American and first Muslim to serve in the upper house of the state legislature. He represents District 42 which includes the Phillips and Powderhorn neighborhoods of Minneapolis – including the intersection where George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police. Frey was mayor at the time.
Sen. Fateh responded to the CBRC’s ruling via a video message on X and Facebook.
“”Twenty-eight party insiders voted to take away our endorsement behind closed doors. This group was comprised of non-Minneapolis residents, Mayor Frey supporters and even donors. This is exactly what Minneapolis voters are sick of. The insider games, the backroom decisions and feeling like our voice doesn’t matter in our own city. Frey’s team used every tactic they could, including delay and confusion on convention day, because they didn’t have the votes.”
If elected, Fateh will be the city’s first Muslim mayor and the second Black person to serve in the role after Sharon Sayles Belton.
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About Tom Gitaa Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the boards of New Vision Foundation and the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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