Minneapolis mayoral election goes to ranked choice voting

The Minneapolis mayoral race will advance to ranked-choice voting after no candidate received at least 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s election, the Associated Press reported.

Minneapolis allows voters to rank up to three candidates in municipal races. There were more than a dozen candidates in the mayoral field. As of 10:41 PM EST on Tuesday, Jacob Frey and Omar Fateh had the majority of first-choice results.

Fateh has made waves on the national political scene this year, drawing comparisons to Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign in New York City. Minnesota Stars Tribune he called her the “Mamdani of Minneapolis.”

The 35-year-old son of Somali immigrants, who became the first Somali American elected to the Minnesota state Senate in 2020, challenged incumbent Frey this year, criticizing the relatively moderate Democrat for “failing to meet the needs of our changing society.”

ILHAN OMAR BLASTS HIS OWN PARTY FOR REVERSING HIS APPROVAL OF THE SOCIALIST CANDIDATE: ‘IT CANNOT BE FORGIVEN’

Fateh was endorsed this summer by Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party; It was the first endorsement for a Minneapolis mayoral candidate in 16 years, before DFL Chairman Richard Carlbom rescinded the coveted endorsement a month later.

“I am incredibly honored to be the DFL-endorsed candidate for Mayor of Minneapolis. This endorsement is a message that Minneapolis residents are giving up on broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual. It’s a mission to build a city that works for all of us,” Fateh said. said in x in July.

MINNEAPOLIS DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST OMAR FATEH PROMISES TO PROTECT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM THE “ENEMY” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The following month, Carlbom wrote, “After a careful and transparent review of the challenges, the Constitution, Ordinances and Rules Committee found significant failures in the Minneapolis Convention’s July 19 voting process, including the recognition that a mayoral candidate was mistakenly eliminated from the contest. As a result, the Constitution, Ordinances and Rules Committee revoked the mayoral confirmation.” he said.

But with support from the Twin Cities chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), the “Squad” member who represents Minneapolis in the U.S. House, Fateh’s progressive campaign maintained its momentum.

There were 15 mayoral candidates on the ballot after the mayoral primary election was not held in Minneapolis on Tuesday. City races in Minneapolis are officially nonpartisan, although candidates can still identify politically.

In an effort to solidify his support against incumbent leader Frey, Fateh urged his supporters to choose pastor DeWayne Davis and attorney Jazz Hampton as their second and third choices.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks at a news conference at City Hall following the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on August 28, 2025. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

In Minneapolis, if a candidate receives more than 50% of the first choice votes, that candidate wins outright.

However, if no one achieves a majority, the counting goes into additional rounds. After each round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and those votes are redistributed to the next candidate on each voter’s ballot. The process continues until one candidate gains a majority and is declared the winner.

Accordingly Associated PressEvery mayoral race in Minneapolis since 2013 has gone to at least a second round of ranked-choice voting.

Frey unseated an incumbent in 2017 after six rounds of evaluation. Then in 2021, Frey was re-elected two rounds later.

A campaign sign for Omar Fateh is displayed near Riverside Plaza in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)

The last mayoral race burst onto the national stage after the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, triggering national and international protests rejecting police brutality during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who was former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate last year and is up for re-election next year. and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., have endorsed Frey’s campaign this year.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

And Minneapolis was once again in the national spotlight this year.

The impact of the massacre, which took place in the city in August at the back-to-school mass held at the Annunciation Catholic Church, in which two children died and 17 people were injured when a shooter opened fire before committing suicide, still continues.

The Associated Press contributed to this report