Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey framed his 2025 bid for a third term as a competitive race against three main challengers: Rev. DeWayne Davis, State Sen. Omar Fateh, and Attorney Jazz Hampton.
At the MPR News/Star Tribune debate on Oct. 28 at the UBS Forum, Frey addressed claims that a coalition of his opponents was instructing supporters to rank Fateh as their primary choice under the city’s ranked-choice voting system. “There is a coalition of three people whose supporters were being instructed to rank, in part, Senator Omar Fateh, my primary challenger,” Frey said. “Here’s the thing: people are smart enough to think for themselves.”
Council Member Aurin Chowdhury also weighed in on the coalition strategy at a recent campaign event, saying, “If we’re going to get a new mayor, we can’t have a slogan that centers on the old one.” Rep. Ilhan Omar recently endorsed DeWayne Davis and Jazz Hampton as her second and third choices under the ranked-choice system, which allows voters to rank candidates first, second, and third. If no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, the lowest-ranking candidates are eliminated and their votes redistributed until a candidate reaches a majority.
The debate highlighted differences on labor issues, including the minimum wage, worker scheduling, and the proposed Labor Standards Board. Frey, Davis, and Hampton opposed immediately raising the minimum wage to $20 per hour, citing concerns about inflation and the need for research and engagement. “I was part of the ordinance that instituted the $15 minimum wage. Any changes would have to go through the same process,” Frey said. Davis emphasized the need for ongoing assessment, “Let’s have a full conversation. Let’s watch what’s going on and be able to move when we need to.” Hampton echoed Davis’ sentiment, “Setting a minimum wage for several years out without knowing where inflation goes or what changes, I do not think it’s a good idea.” However, Fateh supported an increase, calling for a $20-per-hour minimum wage by 2028 and a worker-friendly scheduling ordinance to prevent employers from scheduling workers on short notice. “Workers shouldn’t be closing at night and opening the next morning,” he said, citing health and productivity concerns.
Candidates agreed the police department is understaffed and that expanding social services could help relieve officers’ caseloads. Davis also noted that violence interrupter groups remain under-resourced. An encampment near East Lake Street and 28th Avenue South has grown into an open-air drug market. In September, five men were injured in a mass shooting linked to a dispute over drug-dealing territory. Frey said the city has been working with multi-jurisdictional partners to address the area. “We were removing people from that space on a near-daily basis so that we could clean it,” he said. “We were working to prosecute those preying on vulnerable individuals, not to criminalize addiction.”
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4. Minneapolis voters will use ranked-choice voting for the mayor’s race, allowing them to rank candidates first, second, and third. The process continues until one candidate reaches a majority of votes.
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