Minneapolis, Minnesota Mayor Jacob Frey will face off against a whopping 14 candidates in his bid to lead the Mill City for a third term. Taking office in 2017, Frey, a Democrat, led the city through one of its most challenging times in recent history: the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and the resulting unrest that followed as the city’s Black leaders took to the streets in frustration with over-policing.
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The City of Minneapolis—which includes a population of around 60% white and 18.1% Black—re-elected Frey in 2021, with him receiving around 40% of the overall vote. But come Nov. 4, the question becomes, will they re-elect him again?
A 2021 charter change created a distinct separation of powers for Minneapolis’ mayor-council system that ensures a balance of power. As the city’s chief executive officer, the mayor has executive authority to appoint department heads while the council acts as the primary legislative and policy-making body. Out of the 14 candidates vying to replace Frey, local media outlets have named two-term Democratic State Sen. Omar Fateh as the leading challenger.
“Jacob Frey first ran for Mayor seven years ago with a promise to end homelessness by 2022, and more people are living without a home today as a result of his failed policies,” Fateh declared in a letter attacking Frey’s administration. He added, “It’s been over four years since MPD Officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd, and he still hasn’t delivered on a vision for public safety. He vetoes every solution that comes to his desk. It’s time for a Mayor who has real solutions that puts Minneapolis residents first.”
Fateh, the son of Somali immigrants, is running on progressive policies, including raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour, a plan for rent stabilization, a public safety system that funds alternatives to police for calls like mental health crises. The Guardian reported that he has the backing of six of Minneapolis’ 13 council members, as well as support from unions and state lawmakers. Fateh also appeals to the city’s growing population of Somali immigrants, the largest in the nation.
Such policies would improve the lives of the city’s minority populations, with its around 20.7% poverty rate disproportionately affecting Black residents.
In what would be his last mayoral term, Frey has urged voters to help him finish what he started, including training the city’s public safety forces and providing them with more resources, investing in affordable housing over rent stabilization, and removing the city’s homeless encampments—but only after offering those affected with resources, a move Fateh opposes.
In a debate with Fateh, Frey called the work of leading the city “complex.” He added during the debate, “So you can come forward with a catch phrase or a simple solution. The truth is that it doesn’t exist. We are doing the hard work to drive down homelessness and unsheltered homelessness.”
What is clear is that Minneapolis voters will have a range of candidates to choose from come Nov. 4, and whoever comes out on top will have to hit the ground running.
This is the sixth in an ongoing series where The Root goes beyond the headlines, digging deep into the most critical political campaigns of 2025.
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