Politics

Jacob Frey Secures Third Term as Minneapolis Mayor

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Nov 7, 2025

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Incumbent Jacob Frey has won a third term as mayor of Minneapolis, defeating challenger Omar Fateh, a state senator. The election was decided using a ranked-choice voting system. After an initial round of counting Tuesday, Frey led Fateh by approximately 10 percentage points but was short of the majority needed for an outright win. A second and final round of counting gave Frey 50.03% of the vote to Fateh's 44.37%, according to final but unofficial results. The election set a turnout record for a Minneapolis municipal race, with 55% of registered voters participating. The results are scheduled to be certified by the city council on Monday.

In a victory statement, Frey said he would work to make Minneapolis a place with affordable homes and safe neighborhoods. Fateh congratulated Frey, stating his campaign had successfully changed the city's political narrative to focus on affordable housing, workers' rights, and public safety. Fateh, a democratic socialist, ran on a platform to the left of the incumbent. One account noted that Frey has opposed policies like rent control.

The mayoral race featured a 15-candidate field. Fateh had formed an alliance with two other candidates, DeWayne Davis and Jazz Hampton, which encouraged their supporters to rank one another on their ballots. During the campaign, the state's Democratic-Farmer-Labor party revoked its endorsement of Fateh, citing what it described as "substantial failures" in the convention's voting process. According to one summary, a city councilwoman who supports Frey, Linea Palmisano, accused Fateh of "cheating."

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• Fateh’s campaign successfully influenced the city's political dialogue. In his concession, Fateh stated his campaign had successfully changed the political narrative to focus on affordable housing, workers' rights, and public safety. Despite the outcome, he framed his run as having a lasting impact on the city's priorities.

• A significant portion of the electorate backed a more progressive vision. Running on a platform to the left of the incumbent, the democratic socialist candidate secured 44.37% of the final vote in a 15-candidate race. Fateh also formed a strategic alliance with two other candidates, encouraging supporters to rank them in an effort to consolidate progressive votes.

• The election's high turnout reflects strong civic engagement around the race's issues. The contest set a turnout record for a Minneapolis municipal election, with 55% of registered voters participating. This high level of engagement suggests that the issues at the forefront of the campaign, including those championed by Fateh, resonated deeply with the electorate.

How it may affect me

As a U.S. reader:

• The election serves as a national case study for ranked-choice voting, offering data on its function for other jurisdictions considering similar electoral reforms.

• The strong showing for a progressive challenger may indicate a growing trend of support for similar left-leaning platforms in other major U.S. city elections.

• Minneapolis's approach to housing affordability, which includes the re-elected mayor's opposition to rent control, may influence policy debates in other cities facing similar issues.

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