Minneapolis Mayor Race Ends in Rejection of Progressive Firebrand – Omar Fumes Over ‘Discrimination’ as Voters Back Stability
By Jordan Hale, Midwest Political Reporter November 8, 2025
MINNEAPOLIS — In a ranked-choice showdown that pitted progressive insurgency against pragmatic governance, incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey clinched a third term Wednesday, handily defeating state Sen. Omar Fateh by a margin of 52% to 48% after three rounds of tabulation. The victory, certified by Hennepin County officials amid record turnout of 147,000 votes—the highest for a municipal election in city history—signals voter fatigue with the far-left agenda that has defined Minneapolis since the 2020 George Floyd unrest. But the real fireworks erupted not from the ballot box, but from U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who branded the outcome “discrimination” and warned residents they “will soon regret” spurning her protégé, igniting a firestorm of backlash from conservatives who see it as peak progressive victimhood.
Frey, a centrist Democrat who has steered the city through police reform, housing booms, and a 22% drop in violent crime since 2021, led first-choice votes with 42% to Fateh’s 32% on election night. As lower-tier candidates like Rev. DeWayne Davis (14%) and app developer Jazz Hampton (10%) were eliminated, their second- and third-choice votes flowed decisively to Frey, pushing him over the 50% threshold by mid-morning Wednesday. “Minneapolis chose progress over protest,” Frey declared to cheering supporters at Jefe Urban Cocina, a downtown hotspot, vowing to expand affordable housing and public safety without “divisive distractions.” Backed by Gov. Tim Walz, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and major unions, Frey’s campaign emphasized stability in a city still scarred by 2020 riots that torched 1.5 square miles and cost $500 million.
Fateh, a 39-year-old Somali-American state senator and democratic socialist, entered as the progressive torchbearer, echoing the calls for defunding the police and rent control that galvanized the “Squad” wing of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). His bid, however, was hobbled from the start: The local DFL’s July endorsement—won with 43.58% in a contentious convention—was revoked by state party leaders in August over voting irregularities, slapping the chapter with a two-year probation. Fateh’s team was fined $500 in October for touting the defunct nod on yard signs, a blunder that amplified perceptions of disarray. Despite endorsements from Omar, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and the Working Families Party, Fateh conceded gracefully at his watch party in a Marriott ballroom, where Afrobeat pulsed amid early concession vibes. “The fight for justice continues,” he told supporters, drawing parallels to Zohran Mamdani’s NYC win but stopping short of sour grapes.
Enter Ilhan Omar, the fiery Fifth District congresswoman whose star power fueled Fateh’s underdog run. In a blistering X post Thursday morning—viewed 2.3 million times—she decried the results as “a painful reminder of the discrimination that still poisons our politics,” claiming Minneapolis “will soon regret” rejecting a candidate who “fought for working families against the machine.” The post, quoting her full statement to a local progressive outlet, accused “entrenched interests” of suppressing turnout in immigrant-heavy wards, where Fateh polled 65% among Somali-Americans but lagged citywide. Omar’s allies, including Jayapal, amplified the narrative, tying it to broader “anti-Muslim bias” amid Trump’s deportation rhetoric.
The backlash was swift and savage, particularly on the right. Conservative influencers pounced, reposting Omar’s words with memes of her as a sulky emoji: “Classic Omar—always the victim when voters say no,” tweeted @DC_Draino, racking up 29,000 likes. @nettermike quipped, “Ilhan Omar can’t believe… residents will soon find out they made a BIG mistake. ,” echoing a viral template that spawned dozens of variations, from “Thank God he didn’t get elected!!!” to jabs at Omar’s own 2024 reelection squeaker. The #OmarVictimCard trended locally with 150,000 posts, blending mockery—”Voters aren’t buying the divisive agenda”—and policy critiques: Fateh’s pledges for a $15 million police budget slash and universal rent control were painted as “radical paths” that could exacerbate the city’s 12% vacancy rate and ongoing budget shortfalls.
Omar’s outburst fits a pattern: In 2023, she called a primary challenge “Islamophobic smears”; this year, she accused GOP attacks of “xenophobia” post her narrow 51-49% win. Local DFL leaders, including probationed chapter chair Katie Jones, urged unity: “This was democracy at work—no discrimination, just discernment.” Frey, ever diplomatic, extended an olive branch: “To my opponents and critics: Let’s build, not burn.”
As Frey prepares for 2026—eyeing state aid amid a $100 million deficit—the rejection of Fateh’s bid reverberates nationally. In a blue wave that flipped Virginia and held New Jersey, Minneapolis bucked the trend, opting for steady hands over seismic shifts. For Omar, it’s a bitter pill: Voters, it seems, aren’t just rejecting radicals—they’re rewriting the script on “divisive” without apology.
