Jacob Frey, the Jewish incumbent mayor of Minneapolis, has won a third term against a Democratic Socialist opponent who had pledged not to affiliate with “Zionist lobby groups” and whose supporters compared him to New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
Frey prevailed in the second round of ranked-choice voting Wednesday in unofficial tallies, a day after polls closed. His most prominent opponent, state Sen. Omar Fateh, finished more than five points behind him.
The results could offer hope for a national Jewish electorate worried that Mamdani’s victory portends broader Democratic willingness to back candidates who are openly critical of Israel. A mayoral election in Seattle on Tuesday played to similar dynamics, as an upstart challenger who had signaled support for divesting from Israel mounted a spirited bid against an incumbent; that race remains too close to call.
Like Mamdani, who first shocked the political establishment by winning New York’s Democratic primary, Fateh had successfully wrangled the official backing of his state’s Democratic Party analogue, the Democratic Farm and Labor Party, over the summer. But in his case, allegations of impropriety in the voting process led to the party rescinding its endorsement.
Fateh did earn another endorsement: that of the local Democratic Socialists of America chapter. In order to earn it, the Somali-American candidate had pledged to “refrain from any and all affiliation” with Israel and to avoid work with “Zionist lobby groups” — a list that included J Street and the local Jewish Community Relations Council, whose director publicly condemned Fateh. Members of the candidate’s staff had also defended the Oct. 7 Hamas attacksaccording to reports.
The Minneapolis election was different in other important respects. For one, Frey — though a target of criticism for his handling of some issues — was hardly tarnished with the same level of scandal that trailed Mamdani’s opponents Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams. For another, the race barely mentioned Israel, instead pivoting on issues closer to home such as policing in the shadow of George Floyd’s 2020 killing. In addition, the race featured a bevy of candidates, hobbling Fateh’s ability to coalesce the anti-Frey vote around him.
Yet Israel dynamics and antisemitism were not entirely absent from the race. Frey entered his reelection campaign after having vetoed a February 2024 resolution, brought by his city council, calling for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza; he also criticized an “Educators for Palestine” event held in the city last year.
While Frey had been endorsed by most of Minnesota’s Democratic heavy hitters, including Gov. Tim Walz, Fateh secured the endorsement of Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of Israel’s fiercest critics in the U.S. House.
Both Frey and Fateh also condemned antisemitism after a prominent Minneapolis synagogue was tagged with antisemitic and pro-Hamas graffiti last month. Frey has attended services there.
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