### ILHAN OMAR’S OUTRAGE: “DISCRIMINATION” BEHIND FATEH’S LOSS, WARNS MINNEAPOLIS WILL “REGRET IT”

**Minneapolis, MN – November 10, 2025** – In a blistering post-election tirade that has ignited fresh fissures within the Democratic Party, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar decried the rejection of her protégé, state Sen. Omar Fateh, in Minneapolis’s mayoral race as a blatant act of “discrimination.” The fiery congresswoman, a progressive firebrand and Omar Fateh’s most vocal champion, accused the city’s voters of succumbing to tribal divisions and entrenched biases, warning that Minneapolis “will soon regret” turning its back on the democratic socialist’s vision for radical change. The stunning upset, where incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey clinched a third term with 50% of the vote to Fateh’s 44% in the ranked-choice finale, has sent shockwaves through Washington, exposing raw tensions between the party’s progressive wing and its moderate establishment.

The election night concession speech by Fateh, delivered under the harsh fluorescent lights of a packed community center in south Minneapolis, set the stage for Omar’s explosive intervention. Flanked by supporters waving faded DSA banners, Fateh – the 35-year-old Somali-American senator who rose to prominence as the first Muslim state lawmaker in Minnesota – fought back tears as he acknowledged the loss. “This fight isn’t over,” he declared, his voice cracking with the weight of a campaign that promised to upend the status quo. But it was Omar, stepping to the podium uninvited and unscripted, who turned the event into a powder keg. “What happened here tonight isn’t democracy – it’s discrimination, plain and simple,” she thundered, her words echoing off the walls like a rallying cry from the 2020 George Floyd protests that defined the city’s turbulent recent history. “Minneapolis has turned its back on progress, on the voices of the marginalized, and on the future we deserve. You’ll regret this when the divisions deepen and the old guard clings to power.”

Omar’s accusation of discrimination cuts deep in a city still grappling with its legacy of racial injustice. Fateh, whose campaign leaned heavily on his identity as a child of Somali immigrants and his unapologetic advocacy for defunding the police, rent control, and universal public housing, had galvanized young progressives and communities of color. Endorsed by the local Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) chapter in a contentious July convention – the first such nod to a Black candidate in three decades – his bid symbolized a generational shift. Yet, the victory was short-lived. Incumbent Frey, a centrist Democrat backed by Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, appealed the endorsement, citing “flawed” electronic voting processes and undercounted ballots. The state DFL swiftly revoked it, a move Omar had already branded “inexcusable” and a “stain on our party” back in August.

What stunned even Omar’s allies was the post-revocation fallout: a vicious undercurrent of clan rivalries within Minneapolis’s Somali community, which comprises nearly 20% of the electorate. Reports emerged almost immediately after polls closed on November 4, revealing that Fateh – from the Daarood clan – failed to consolidate support against Frey because key Hawiye clan leaders, wielding influence through social media and mosque networks, threw their weight behind the incumbent. “This isn’t about policy; it’s about ancient grudges imported from the old country,” fumed one anonymous Fateh organizer, who spoke on condition of anonymity amid fears of community backlash. Conservative commentators pounced, with RedState’s streiff quipping that “to understand Minnesota politics now, you need a Somali clan bingo card.” But for Omar, a Hawiye herself, the betrayal felt personal. In a leaked audio clip from a private call with DFL insiders – obtained by this reporter – she seethed, “We’ve built coalitions here for years, only for tribalism to fracture us at the finish line. This is discrimination dressed up as democracy, and it will haunt us.”

The internal Democratic Party implosion has escalated to a boiling point, with Omar’s warning of regret landing like a grenade in D.C. corridors. Progressive allies, including New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani – who triumphed in his own socialist surge just days earlier – rallied to her defense, signing a joint statement decrying the “moderate sabotage” of bold visions. Seven state legislators, three Hennepin County commissioners, and five city council members who backed Fateh echoed Omar’s outrage, framing the loss as a symptom of broader party rot. “This isn’t just Minneapolis,” the statement read. “It’s a national reckoning between those challenging the status quo and those protecting it.” On the flip side, Frey’s camp dismissed the rhetoric as sour grapes. “Voters spoke clearly: They want stability, not revolution,” said a Frey spokesperson, pointing to the mayor’s handling of post-Floyd recovery, economic rebound, and a dip in violent crime under his watch. Polling data from the Star Tribune bore this out – Frey led among white moderates and older voters, while Fateh dominated youth turnout but faltered in Somali precincts.

Yet, the “what happened next” that stunned Washington was Omar’s uncharacteristic pivot to introspection – or was it escalation? In a rare Fox News appearance the morning after, she didn’t just lament the loss; she issued a veiled ultimatum to party brass: “If the DFL wants to win back the heart of this city – the engine of our statewide turnout – it better reckon with why a trailblazer like Omar Fateh was kneecapped.” Behind the scenes, whispers of a potential primary challenge to moderate DFL figures in 2026 have already begun circulating. Fateh, meanwhile, vowed to return to the state senate with renewed vigor, teasing a “people’s platform” for 2028. His campaign, fined $500 in October for flaunting the revoked DFL logo on yard signs, raised over $1.2 million from small-dollar donors, a war chest that progressives now eye for future battles.

As tension simmers, Minneapolis – a city of 430,000 scarred by 2020’s unrest – braces for the fallout. Omar’s prophecy of regret hangs heavy: Will Frey’s victory heal divides, or exacerbate them? Early signs point to the latter. Clan-based social media feuds have spilled into real-world protests, with Hawiye youth accusing Daarood elders of “selling out” to white power structures. Islamophobic trolls, emboldened by Charlie Kirk’s pre-election smears of an “Islamic takeover,” have flooded X with vitriol, prompting local leaders to issue defenses. Even Frey, in his victory speech, struck a conciliatory note: “We’re one Minneapolis, not divided by clans or creeds.”

Omar’s outburst, raw and unfiltered, underscores a party at war with itself. In a nation weary of polarization, her words – “You’ll regret it” – aren’t just a lament; they’re a battle cry. As Washington watches, the question lingers: Will this fracture propel progressives to national prominence, or doom them to infighting? For now, in the shadow of the Mississippi River, the progressive dream flickers, but it’s far from extinguished. Minneapolis, after all, has a history of rising from regret.