The College Democrats at the University of Minnesota’s Coffman Union held a Mayoral Forum on Monday with the four major candidates for Minneapolis mayor coming in to speak. 

The room was loud with students and community members anticipating incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey, Council Member Emily Koski (Ward 11), Rev. DeWayne Davis and Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL-Minneapolis) taking the stage to respond to questions from students and the club. Council Member Robin Wonsley (Ward 2) made a guest appearance in the audience.

Each candidate had one to two minutes to answer questions. Topics of discussion ranged from diversity, equity and inclusion policies and trans rights to the war in Gaza and Minneapolis City Council relationships with the mayor. 

College Democrats President Kavya Nair said the forum was held to show students who the next mayor would be. 

“I hope the people running for mayor will see a giant group of engaged students and then internally feel like, ‘Yeah, we need to show up because these students care,’” Nair said. 

The students responded strongly to Fateh’s introduction, clapping during his opening remarks twice before he finished.

The forum was three parts, starting with the candidate introductions, then the candidates answered questions from a club member and finally, the candidates answered questions from audience members who submitted their questions via a QR code on the table. 

When asked about student protests over the Palestinian conflict and how they would address the violence in Gaza, Fateh and Davis assertively said they supported student protestors, while Koski and Frey gave milder responses.

Fateh said he has always stood in solidarity with Palestinians, both as an organizer and a state senator. 

“I’ve had Palestinian students show up in my office at the capitol talking to me about some of the concerns that they’re having, safety issues, surveillance issues and it hurts because I identify with them as a Muslim man,” Fateh said. “As mayor, you’ll have someone that is a voice for all the students, especially our Muslim students, our Palestinian students.” 

Davis echoed Fateh’s point and said he supports everyone’s right to make their voices heard without fear of reprisal from the University. 

“I want to always protect people’s right to protest and to make their voices heard,” Davis said. “I think what is happening with the college campuses, the retaliation that has come from the administration is unacceptable.

Frey, who vetoed a City Council resolution urging a ceasefire in Gaza as well as another that asked the University not to charge Morrill Hall protestors, said his stance on Gaza has not changed and said he supported a ceasefire and two-state solution. Koski said she was concerned about rising antisemitism and the attacks on free speech. 

When asked about the greatest challenge facing Minneapolis, each candidate gave a different answer. Frey said Republican President Donald Trump, Davis said affordability, Koski said division among city leaders and Fateh said the lack of city leadership at the top. 

“All of that is being halted because we can’t work together,” Koski said. “As mayor, I will make sure that I come forward as a collaborative consensus builder,  someone who’s going to really want to solve the problems.” 

Frey has been criticized for his funding choices for the Minneapolis Police Department and for vetoing the Minneapolis City Council’s proposal to research shutting down Chicago Avenue to establish George Floyd Square. 

“I am not someone that will back away or stand down from my values,” Frey said. “When the right thing is to do, to stand up and say, ‘No, we’re not going down that route,’ that’s exactly what I will do.” 

All four candidates, as well as two others, are seeking the DFL endorsement at the City Convention in late July. The DFL Ward Caucus Night is on April 8, where local residents will elect some of themselves to be delegates to send them to the City Convention, where a candidate can be endorsed. Locations and times for the Caucus Night can be found here.

Election day is Nov. 5. Minneapolis has a ranked-choice voting system for elections, where voters rank their top three candidates instead of selecting one.

To learn more about voting in Minneapolis, go to the City’s website.

Editor’s Note: Edits have been made for clarity. Mayor Frey vetoed a plan to research shutting down Chicago Avenue.