Mayor Jacob Frey was jubilant but did not declare victory as he addressed supporters Tuesday night, expressing confidence that his showing in first-choice votes put him “well in the lead.”
State Sen. Omar Fateh, Frey’s top challenger, urged voters to be patient, and assured them his campaign is still alive heading into Wednesday, when second-choice votes will be tabulated to see if a winner can be determined through a combination of first- and second-choice votes. If necessary, third-choice votes would also be counted to determine a winner.
Frey received about 42% of first-choice votes with all precincts reporting, according to election results from the Minnesota Secretary of State website. Frey had a 10-point lead over Fateh, who pitched voters on a more left-wing vision for Minneapolis and earned about 32% of the first-choice votes. To win an election in the first-choice voting round, candidates must earn more than 50% of the votes.
“This city showed up once again,” Frey told supporters. “We got what appears to be record turnout, and I’ll tell you what — it looks damn good for us.”
Frey and Fateh both identify as Democrats. Fateh initially won the endorsement of the Democratic Farmer Labor party, but had that designation stripped after the state party questioned the process. If elected, Fateh would be Minneapolis’ first Somali American mayor.
“Tonight, we stay patient,” Fateh said at a watch party speech. “We stay proud because this campaign has already changed the conversation for what Minneapolis can be.“
There were 15 candidates on the ballot, but the mayor’s race is largely seen as a two-man contest between Frey and Fateh. Two other challengers, pastor DeWayne Davis and attorney Jazz Hampton, appeared to have an outside shot at victory heading into Tuesday. Davis received nearly 14% of first-choice votes, Hampton got about 10%, according to unofficial results from the Minnesota Secretary of State.
Frey spoke with Sahan Journal briefly Tuesday night in between taking photos with friends and supporters.
“The last five years have been heavy, to say the least,” Frey said. “But our city is resilient, persistent, filled with grit, and we’re experiencing this beautiful comeback right now.”
With his parents beside him, Frey said, “I want to be part of making this a place we’re all proud to call home.” He said earlier in the night that his parents had moved to Minneapolis, and were able to vote for him for the first time.
Addressing the challenges he faces from the federal government regarding the city’s sanctuary policies that prohibit police and city staff from working with federal authorities on immigration issues, Frey said Trump is “going to have to come through me and 435,000 other people that are standing up for undocumented immigrants and our LGBTQ community, and anybody else that he’s going to come at.”
Frey crowd cheers early results
Frey’s supporters cheered and celebrated around 9:30 p.m. as results showed that he led the race with 42% of the first-choice votes with nearly all precincts reporting. Several supporters from the Somali community had their eyes glued to their phones for the latest numbers, while others hugged each other and video called people to share the news.
Frey took the stage shortly before 10:30 p.m. to address a room full of supporters who chanted, “Jacob! Jacob! Jacob!” He described his showing in the first-choice votes as a “comeback.”
“I am failing to find the words to signify how important this is,” Frey said. “Let’s go, Jacob!”
“We’re going to make sure that Minneapolis is broadly recognized as the number one housing city in the entire country, where everybody has a foundation of a home from which they can rise,” he said. “We’re going to make sure that we have a foundation of safety in every neighborhood, in every zip code of this entire city.”
He also touched on national politics, calling out President Donald Trump and voicing support for the city’s immigrants.
“We’re going to stand up against Donald Trump at the national level in Minneapolis,” Frey said. “They’re not undocumented immigrants. They are our neighbors. We love them, and we will stand with them every step of the way.”
“Minneapolis is on the rise, everybody. A great city rises,” he said at the end of the speech after thanking his family, who were in attendance.
Latonya Reeves cheered him on from the audience.
“We need a mayor that’s going to see all of us, not just some of us,” said Reeves, a probation officer who lives in north Minneapolis.
Reeves, who kept refreshing election results, said she won’t be getting any sleep tonight. “I’m waiting and hopeful.”
After his speech, Frey ducked into a room with some supporters, empty shot glasses in hand.
Amani Ahmed, an entrepreneur from Eden Prairie, and several other Somali supporters said they hoped he would join them at an afterparty.
“We have so much food ready, and people are waiting there, but maybe he’s too tired tonight,” she said.
Supporters waited at Mayor Jacob Frey’s watch party in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Credit: Joanna Schaus for Sahan Journal
Julius Cochran, an entrepreneur and president of Black Political Action attended the party with members of his organization, and said he is “confident” that Frey will win after second-choice votes are tabulated.
“He’s one of the only people that stood with us, and that was in the streets with us after the George Floyd incident,” Cochran said of Minneapolis police murdering George Floyd in 2020.
Ahmed, the entrepreneur from Eden Prairie, said she supported Frey in his last race and agrees with his stance on public safety.
“I feel like he had a lot of support, especially from the Somali community; we’ve really come through for [him] this time,” said Ahmed, who also supported Frey in his last race.
Asked about Frey’s strongest challenger, Fateh, Ahmed said that even though Fateh came a long way, the election isn’t just about representation of the Somali community.
“This is about policy and what fits our community at this point right now,” Ahmed said.
Fateh rallies supporters
About an hour after polls closed, a long line of attendees stretched through the hotel waiting to join more than 100 supporters who danced in a ballroom to loud music. The DJ started a call and response chant, asking the crowd in Somali, “Who is your mayor?”
“Omar Fateh!” the group answered.
Fateh took the stage about 10:45 p.m. as supporters cheered and chanted his name loudly. Attendees crowded the edges of the stage, dozens of them waving signs emblazoned with his name. Fateh started off his remarks thanking his supporters, campaign staff and volunteers.
He expressed optimism about his showing in the first-choice votes.
“Thank you for believing in this vision and fighting beside us,” Fateh said. “We go further when we work together, and our campaign has built the broadest coalition in this race because strong cogovernance has always been at its core.”
Fateh shouted out the various organizations that endorsed his campaign, as well as his wife and son. He also specifically thanked his East African campaign team, who he said dealt with “forces of division,” possibly referencing Islamophobic rhetoric and attacks his campaign received over the past year.
Fateh joked that he and his supporters have waited eight years for new leadership and that now there is only just one more day to wait. He requested patience from his supporters as second-choice votes are tabulated to see if they help determine the winner.
State Senator Omar Fateh addresses his supporters at his election watch party at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Minneapolis, on Nov. 4, 2025. Credit: Dymanh Chhoun | Sahan Journal
Guled Said, a 23-year-old student at Metropolitan State University and part-time security guard, said he voted for Fateh early as he supports his economic policies. Said also said he supports Fateh’s policies around education.
Abdirahman Jama, a 22-year-old studying to become a pilot, said he wants to see Fateh bring a better and stronger community.
“It’s time for a change,” Jama said.
Khalid Abdi, a 26-year-old union representative who volunteered for Fateh, said Fateh’s values stood out to him.
“I hope to see him be a multi-term mayor,” Abdi said.
Anzal Sahal, a 23-year-old clinical assistant, said she voted for Fateh because she believed Frey hadn’t made much change.
“I want to see Minneapolis thrive,” Sahal said. “I want to see the streets clean and more resources in the community.”
BEST security check and search supporters entering Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh’s watch party at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Minneapolis on Nov. 4, 2025. Credit: Dymanh Chhoun | Sahan Journal
Ibrahim Ahmed, a 25-year-old nonprofit consultant, said that he voted for Fateh and ranked mayoral candidates DeWayne Davis and Jazz Hampton. In an unusual move, the three had campaigned together as a slate to push out Frey.
Ali Ahmed, a 22-year-old licensed director for an assisted living facility, said he started closely following the mayoral race and Fateh’s campaign two weeks ago when he saw a social media post “slandering his campaign.” Though he’s not a Minneapolis resident, Ahmed decided to look into Fateh’s campaign and policy priorities, and he liked what he saw — namely his pledges to end homelessness and reform the Minneapolis Police Department.
“I just align a lot with his political values and everything like that,” Ahmed said. “I just decided to come out and support because, even though I can’t vote, I still want to just come out and support.”
Policing, cost of living and homelessness headline issues
Fateh campaigned on increasing public services through property tax increases on land owners and adding a local option income tax rate on wealthy residents. He’s also proposing a rent control policy, putting a stop to the Frey administration’s practice of clearing homeless encampments, and working to add new housing stock.
Fateh and other challengers have criticized Frey over his attempts to reform the Minneapolis Police Department, which they argue hasn’t been successful or gone far enough. Frey said he is committed to ensuring reforms established by a federal consent decree that President Donald Trump’s Justice Department has since abandoned.
Frey has cited declining crime rates, low increases to average rents and city data showing a decline in homelessness as evidence that his administration is worthy of a third term.
Fateh has been endorsed by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, DFL-Minneapolis, and a slew of state lawmakers and county commissioners. Frey touts the support of Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, both Democrats. City Council members have split their endorsements, with most progressive members supporting Fateh and more moderate members backing Frey.
Minneapolis uses a ranked-choice voting system, allowing residents to rank up to three candidates. In an unusual move, Davis, Fateh and Hampton have campaigned together at times, encouraging voters to rank them as a slate in order to push out Frey. Lawn signs posted throughout the city promote the united front.
A similar strategy was employed against Frey in 2021, when police reform advocate Shelia Nezhad and former state Rep. Kate Knuth urged voters not to rank the incumbent. Frey won the most first choice votes, and beat out Knuth on the second ballot tabulation.
Sahan Journal intern Khalid Mohamed contributed to this report.