Progressives Blast DFL for Rescinding Omar Fateh’s Mayoral Endorsement
The Minnesota DFL’s decision to rescind its mayoral endorsement of State Sen. Omar Fateh has ignited fierce backlash across Minneapolis. Fateh, who would have been the first Muslim mayor endorsed by the party, criticized the move as disenfranchisement, while Rep. Ilhan Omar and other progressive leaders called it anti-democratic. The DFL Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee said substantial flaws in the July 19 convention process invalidated the results, but critics accuse Mayor Jacob Frey and party insiders of influencing the decision. With no endorsed candidate, Minneapolis heads into a deeply divided election season.
A decision by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party to revoke its mayoral endorsement of State Senator Omar Fateh, originally announced this past July, has ignited a wave of criticism from progressive leaders and elected officials across Minneapolis, even as party leadership defends the move as necessary to preserve the integrity of the endorsement process.
“I won’t pretend that I’m not disappointed and angered to see 28 party insiders revoke the endorsement and overturn the votes of hundreds of Minneapolis residents,” said Fateh.
In a statement released mid-August, DFL Party Chairman Richard Carlbom said the party’s Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee (CBRC) found “substantial failures” in the voting process held at the Minneapolis Convention Center on July 19, including the erroneous elimination of a candidate.
“After a thoughtful and transparent review of the challenges,” Carlbom stated, “the CBRC found substantial failures in the Minneapolis Convention’s voting process… As a result, the committee has vacated the mayoral endorsement.”
Carlbom called for party unity heading into the 2026 elections and emphasized the DFL’s goal of building an “affordable economy that works for everyone.”
But the party’s action, seen by many as reversing a legitimate grassroots victory for Fateh, has triggered fierce backlash from prominent progressive officials, including U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who joined a coalition of local electeds in denouncing the decision as anti-democratic and harmful to party credibility.
“It is inexcusable to overturn the results weeks after the convention because board members did not like the outcome,” read a joint statement signed by Omar and others. “This decision will be a stain on our party for years to come.”
“An effort led by Mayor Frey”
Ninth Ward Councilmember Jason Chavez-Cruz went further, directly blaming Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for influencing the CBRC process.
“They met privately and voted to overturn the will of Minneapolis delegates…an effort led by Mayor Jacob Frey,” Chavez-Cruz wrote on Facebook. “This is a shortsighted decision meant to capitulate to rich donors and the wealthy rather than the working people of Minneapolis.”
Fateh, who is Somali-American and would have been the first Muslim mayor endorsed by the DFL in Minneapolis history, won the endorsement after a contentious but ultimately decisive convention vote. His campaign focused on police accountability, affordable housing, and economic justice, stances that galvanized a large segment of the city’s progressive base.
A divided party
Opponents of Fateh’s mayoral bid argue the CBRC’s intervention was not only justified, but overdue. Sam Schulenberg, campaign manager for Jacob Frey, supported the committee’s findings.
“This wasn’t an error. This was brazen cheating,” Schulenberg stated. “I’m proud to be a member of a party that believes in correcting our mistakes.”
Community advocate Joe Carr issued a dire warning about a potential Fateh mayoralty, citing public safety concerns and accusing the senator of “reckless, ideological experiments.”
“If Fateh gets his way, Minneapolis will slide backwards into chaos,” Carr said. “Once you lose safety, you lose everything.”
Meanwhile, civil rights attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong offered a rare critique from outside the partisan binary. In a strongly worded Facebook post, she rejected both Fateh and Frey, citing Fateh’s legislative support for the 2040 Plan, a zoning overhaul she views as favoring developers over vulnerable communities.
“When I found out that Omar was carrying the [2040 Plan] bill for Jacob, I was flabbergasted,” she wrote. “If you are going to carry a bill that favors the wealthy and developers, at least have the guts to have a conversation with a seasoned community leader.”
A crossroads
The CBRC’s decision leaves the DFL without an endorsed candidate in the Minneapolis mayoral race for now, though further announcements could follow. A draft of the CBRC’s findings is expected to be made public, with final documentation due Friday, August 22 at dfl.org/cbrc_decision. However, Friday has passed and no formal decision has yet been aired to the public.
For Fateh’s supporters, the decision represents a broader struggle within the DFL between progressives seeking to shift power dynamics and an establishment intent on maintaining control. “We will not let disenfranchisement win, and we will not allow the rich and powerful to buy this election,” Chavez-Cruz wrote.
As the city’s political landscape fractures along ideological and generational lines, one thing is clear: Minneapolis is entering a fiercely contested election season, with deep implications for the future of the DFL and the direction of the city.
Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.