State party revokes Fateh's endorsement for mayor
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State Sen. Omar Fateh gives a victory speech after winning the Minneapolis DFL's mayoral endorsement in July. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios
A state Democratic party committee revoked the Minneapolis DFL Party's endorsement of mayoral candidate Omar Fateh, citing major concerns with local party organizers' handling of the endorsing convention.
Why it matters: Minnesota DFL officials' extraordinary decision undoes a triumph for the democratic socialist state senator that generated national buzz, cementing Fateh as "the Mamdani of Minneapolis" and emboldening left-wing critics hoping to unseat incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey.
- The decision also restores all candidates' access to the DFL's coveted voter database. The endorsement had briefly given Fateh's campaign exclusive access.
Catch up quick: Minneapolis DFL organizers recently admitted the electronic voting system failed to capture all delegate votes during July's citywide convention.
- The mix-up did not directly lead to Fateh's win, but it did eliminate another candidate, DeWayne Davis, before the decisive second ballot — which made it harder for Frey delegates to block Fateh's endorsement.
The big picture: The overturned result could deepen fissures between more-centrist DFLers and the democratic socialist-allied factions bucking for more influence in the party at the local, state and national levels.
- The DFL's rules committee faced extraordinary pressure, with nearly 100 challenges to the result, including from former party chair Mike Erlandson.
- But several state lawmakers had also urged the committee to uphold the endorsement in the name of party unity.
What they're saying: "I am proud to be a member of a party that believes in correcting our mistakes … I look forward to having a full and honest debate with Senator Fateh about our city's future," Frey wrote in a statement.
The other side: "Our campaign sees this for what it is: disenfranchisement of thousands of Minneapolis caucus-goers and the delegates who represented all of us on convention day," Fateh co-campaign manager Graham Faulkner said in a statement.
- "The establishment is threatened by our message," he added. "They are scared of a politics that really stands up to corporate interests and with our working class neighbors."
What happened: The electronic voting system's failure at the July 21 citywide convention led to lengthy delays.
- After hours of debate over the first ballot's results, Frey supporters officially abandoned the convention at 9:16pm, leaving only the mayor's critics in the convention hall.
- Shortly after, Fateh was declared the convention's winner essentially by a show of hands.
At the time, the convention's organizers told Axios the balloting system had worked, but was delayed by slow devices and the meticulous process of weeding out duplicates from more than 1,300 ballot submissions.
Yes, but: In their formal response, Minneapolis DFL representatives admitted that the system had "failed to capture" approximately 95 ballots with valid codes, and that their final count was ultimately 176 votes short.
- While a corrected count didn't affect Fateh or Frey's vote shares on that first ballot, the party's corrected count said Davis did clear a 20% vote threshold to advance to the second ballot.
- Many of Davis' supporters appear to have defected to Fateh. (Davis decided against filing his own protest.)
At a hearing on their challenge, Frey campaign manager Sam Schulenberg had argued the Minneapolis DFL had attempted to "move the goal posts … to the point where even the most damning and indefensible conduct at the convention would be shielded from scrutiny."
Minneapolis DFL officials contended it would be inappropriate for the state party to intervene, saying Frey couldn't prove the endorsement result would've been any different.
- At the convention, delegates rejected motions from Frey's allies to toss out the disputed ballot — and local party officials contended that, under DFL rules, it was improper to overrule their decision.
The intrigue: As part of its decision, the state party rebuked the Minneapolis DFL, placing the chapter on probation for two years and requiring local officials to submit improvement plans.
What we're watching: If Fateh appeals the state party committee's decision.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Frey.