Axios Twin Cities

November 06, 2025
Good morning!
- Cloudy, windy and a high of 56.
✈️ Situational awareness: The FAA will cut 10% of air traffic at 40 "high-traffic" airports starting tomorrow if the government shutdown continues. Thousands of flights could be canceled. The list of airports will be out today. Go deeper.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Twin Cities members Ben Ruxin and Chris Davidson!
Today's newsletter is 891 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Minneapolis' "big tent" city hall
Tuesday's elections were triumphal for Democrats across the country, including in Minneapolis, but the results did little to resolve an ideological struggle over the future of the national party or City Hall politics.
The big picture: The relatively moderate Mayor Jacob Frey won a third term in the deep-blue city by touting his willingness to stand up to policies he viewed as progressivism run amok.
- The second-place finisher — democratic socialist state Sen. Omar Fateh — made many of those policies centerpieces of his campaign: rent control, limits on homeless encampment sweeps; and potential new taxes on income, wealth and even vacant storefronts.
What he's saying: "We have to love our city more than our ideology," Frey told reporters yesterday. "The opposite of Donald Trump extremism is not the opposite extreme."
Reality check: Voters also reelected most of the left-wing coalition that controls the City Council — many of whom share Fateh's liberal visions for the city.
- Left-wing candidates also won seats on the Park Board and the Board of Estimate and Taxation.
- An "avalanche of developer and landlord money backing [Frey] unfortunately overcame a campaign centered on working people," wrote Chelsea McFarren, chair of the outspent left-wing PAC Minneapolis for the Many. "Yet, despite their best efforts, voters retained our strong progressive majority on the City Council."
Yes, but: The mayor's allies managed to flip two council seats, which means the left-wing coalition will likely have a harder time mustering the veto-proof majority it's used to slow Frey's agenda.
State of play: Frey pledged to "work together in good faith" with the council — but added "there needs to be a mutuality to that … The needless attacks that we've seen should stop."
The other side: "It's going to take two to tango — a City Council and a mayor who are ready to work together," newly elected Ward 8 Council Member Soren Stevenson, who ran with democratic socialists' endorsement, told Axios.
Zoom out: Minneapolis' results came in an election that saw Democrats of both the center-left and democratic-socialist variety prevail nationwide.
- Fateh had been called the "Mamdani of Minneapolis" after New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, another ambitious democratic socialist state lawmaker.
"We are a big tent," Gov. Tim Walz told reporters when asked about Tuesday's election results.
- "I know a lot of people are like, well, 'Is [Mamdani] going to be the face of the party?'" Walz said. "Look, it's the mayor of New York City. It's a big job — but it is one of the many jobs we saw elected."
2. Mapped: How Kaohly Her won St. Paul

State Rep. Kaohly Her pulled off her upset win over incumbent St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter this week in part by racking up first-choice votes in much of her current state House district.
Zoom in: Her's district spans the length of Summit Avenue, cutting through some of the city's wealthiest neighborhoods.
- There, Her won 44% of the first-choice votes, while Carter received 38%.
Citywide, Carter led Her with roughly 41-38% in first-choice votes — but Her overtook Carter after ranked-choice tabulations.
- She received a total of 47.8% of the vote.
3. The Spoon: Doctors go on strike
🛠️ Jerry's Hardware is closing its Maple Grove store on Dec. 31 and its St. Louis Park location in early January. (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)
🪧 Hundreds of Allina doctors conducted a one-day strike yesterday, saying their workload is leading to burnout. (Star Tribune)
- Allina said the newly formed doctors' union's demands are unaffordable due to ongoing financial challenges.
🏚️ Duluth voters overwhelmingly passed a controversial measure that allows tenants to make simple repairs to their rental units and then deduct the cost from their rent — up to $500, or half of their monthly rent. (MPR News)
4. Over-performing elementary schools
Minneapolis' Burroughs, Wayzata's Gleason Lake and Mankato's Franklin are among the Minnesota elementary schools where kids read at higher levels than expected.
Driving the news: Education news outfit The 74 analyzed 41,883 schools in all 50 states looking at their third-grade reading scores relative to the number of students who get free and reduced lunch.
5. 🍁 The color is still poppin'
Parts of Minneapolis and the west metro are still at peak fall color.
Why it matters: For the Twin Cities, peak fall color usually hits around mid-October, so we are getting a three-week foliage bonus.
Between the lines: September was the eighth warmest on record and October was the 13th, according to meteorologist Sven Sundgaard.
Yes, but: The weather is about to turn and there's a slight chance for snow on Saturday.
Editor's note: Yesterday's newsletter was updated to correct the spelling of incoming Met Council chair Robin Hutcheson's name.
🔨 Torey got a new roof this week. Her son was disappointed to find out that it looks identical to the old one.
📺 Audrey is deeply invested in "The Morning Show." So bad, but so good.
🛏️ Kyle needs a nap.
🤡 Nick started "It: Welcome To Derry" because he can't say no to Stephen King.
This newsletter was edited by Lindsey Erdody.
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