MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) –
Following the nationwide presidential election in November 2024, Minneapolis residents will be faced with another pivotal ballot as all 13 city council seats and the office of mayor will be up for grabs.

Here’s a look at who is running for Minneapolis mayor, as of Dec. 4, 2024 (this story will be updated as more people announce they’re running): 

Sen. Omar Fateh

As the first Somali American to serve in the Minnesota Senate after being elected in 2020, Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL-Minneapolis) says he will take what he has learned about organizing and coalition building in the Minnesota Legislature and use it to propel Minneapolis.

“Serving in the Minnesota Senate, I’ve seen firsthand what a progressive legislator can do with the right executive. And as mayor, I’ll work with the progressive city council to achieve real wins for our neighbors and uplift those who are struggling to get by,” Fateh said in a statement announcing his candidacy at Minneapolis’ City Hall on Dec. 2.

Previously, Sen. Fateh pushed for legislation that went into effect on Dec. 1 that set a minimum wage and protections for Uber and Lyft drivers statewide.

However, his time served in the legislature has not gone without raising some eyebrows.

In 2020, an ethics complaint accused Sen. Fateh of seeking state grant money for a Somali media outlet that ran free ads for him. Fateh refuted the allegations of a conflict of interest.

In a separate complaint that year, state lawmakers investigated Fateh’s ties to a federal voter fraud case in which his brother-in-law was convicted of lying to a grand jury.

In 2018, Fateh was unsuccessful in his candidacy for District 62A of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

“We welcome Sen. Fateh to the mayoral race and look forward to presenting voters with a clear choice between two contrasting visions,” a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement. “Sen. Fateh, a Democratic Socialists of America member who supports removing the police department from the city charter, would jeopardize progress by rubber-stamping the most extreme voices on the city council.”

Council member Emily Koski

On Wednesday, Dec. 4, Ward 11 council member Emily Koski announced she would be running for mayor after first being elected to the council in 2021.

“Four years ago, I ran for elected office to serve my city by building bridges in times of division and disconnection,” Koski said during the announcement. “Today, it’s clear to me: The city I love is at a crossroads, and we face many challenges and opportunities. We’re up against efforts to drive wedges between us and pit us against one another. We need a strong, unifying leader to move us forward.”

Koski is a resident of Minneapolis, and grew up on St. Anthony Parkway in the northeast region of the city.

As part of her speech, Koski decried Frey’s inability to bridge gaps between differing ideologies.

“I’ve witnessed first-hand his [Frey’s] inability to work with your city council, and his absence at so many tables – whether that be with local organizations and advocacy groups, our county, state or federal government,” Koski said.

In her address, Koski said she would work for:

• Adoption and implementation of a consent decree as a powerful and necessary step for advancing police reform;
• A new, innovative approach to police recruiting and retention;
• Increasing shelter and transitional housing supply, and reducing and eliminating barriers;
• Rebuilding our economy, and restoring cultural corridors through supporting entrepreneurship and small business ownership;
• Strengthening our workforce through meaningful policy and ordinances.

According to her campaign page, Koski’s professional experience includes owning and operating a small business, working at Target corporate, and consulting.

Koski cites her first-term accomplishments as creating a City Community Safety Audit Division, investing in the Behavioral Crisis Response Teams and creating/expanding a City Domestic Violence Navigators Program.

Mayor Jacob Frey likely to run

Although he has not officially announced his candidacy to seek reelection, it’s likely that current Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will seek a third term.

In November 2021, he was elected to a second term, with more than 49.1% of votes election officials tabulated. Kate Knuth made it to the final round of the ranked-choice voting with 38.2% of total votes.

Frey was first elected mayor in 2017 and came under scrutiny following protests over the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.

In the past, he’s clashed with city council members over how best to reform the Minneapolis Police Department in the wake of Floyd’s death.

Under his tenure, Frey ushered in the “strong mayor” government restructuring, which strengthened the power of the mayor’s office by shifting some powers from the city council to the mayor. Previously, the mayor and city council shared executive powers, with the mayor having direct authority over the police department.