Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL-Minneapolis), slight and soft-spoken, has made a state Senate career for himself working diligently for Minnesota — mostly out of the public eye. For much of the current mayoral race, he’s remained reserved, straightforward and policy-focused. 

While certainly appreciated by some, this approach to politics can quickly get you drowned out in an era with so much noise. Political campaigns today aren’t as much about presenting a platform as they are about curating an image. 

To help push Fateh into the spotlight, four Minneapolis women inspired by New York City’s Hot Girls for Zohran organized the grassroots fundraising campaign Baddies for Omar. Since introducing the project to social media, the campaign has helped push Fateh into a front-runner position. 

After a period working in the legislative session, Baddies for Omar Co-founder Yusra Mohamud gained an admiration for Fateh both personally and professionally. 

“He has his own vibrant swag, and it wasn’t being showcased in his campaign,” Mohamud said. “We said, ‘Omar, you’re being too corporate when we know that you’re not. How can we help you amplify you?’” 

The Baddies launched the project on social media in August, posting skits with Fateh and flyers for their fundraisers. After selling out their first event, a “Sketch and Sip” evening at Arya Café, which Mohamud said raised more than $2,000, it was clear they had made progress in the community.

Their second event, a Sip of Silk Café trivia night, was another success, attracting dozens of young people captivated by Fateh’s vision for the city and the Baddies’ effective marketing. 

University fourth-year student Qasim Mujteba said he found the recent trend of “Baddies for blank” branding for left-wing candidates endearing. He added it was a more light-hearted way of approaching politics. 

To many, the slogan feels organic and refreshing compared to past attempts from corporate democrats to appeal to young voters.

Mujteba said he felt alienated from Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential run because many of her policies were aimed toward older voters and moderates in swing states.

“I think that’s what’s nice about the way that Omar is doing it,” Mujteba said. “I don’t feel taken for granted.”

Even before his mayoral campaign began, Fateh had already ingratiated himself with much of the student population due to his role as chief author of the higher education budget, which included the North Star Promise program. 

When Fateh stepped into Sip of Silk on Thursday, he was received like a celebrity. Fateh was hardly able to take a step without signing an autograph or posing for a photo. 

“With the Baddies knocking on doors, we’re not gonna lose,” Fateh said to close his address to the crowd.

Fateh told the Minnesota Daily that the Baddies for Omar has been effective in reaching young people, especially on social media.

“You can see how many people are here tonight,” Fateh said. “This is the kind of stuff that gets younger voters energized to actually turn out.”

The energy at the Baddies’ event would have you thinking Fateh’s headed for a landslide, but the reality is far different. Despite being described as the “Mamdani of Minneapolis,” the local race is far tighter than New York’s. 

Incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey remains popular among older and wealthier demographics, and Fateh, embracing the title of democratic socialist, has isolated himself from a large voting block. 

University political science lecturer Tim Collins said people still have a bias against ideologies that are in any way representative of communism.


“Even though there are obvious differences between democratic socialism and totalitarian Soviet-style communism, people still link the two,” Collins said. “People don’t like the label of socialism, even though many socialist policies maintain decent public support.” 

Collins said a win for Fateh wouldn’t be unprecedented, given that recent inflation and economic decline could potentially disadvantage incumbents nationwide. 

“Those effects don’t normally take root in local elections,” Collins said. “But also, people are generally dissatisfied with the current state of politics, and there’s probably a lot of people in Minneapolis who want more of a fighter than Frey represents.” 

Collins added that most of his students already voted or have plans to vote, and overwhelmingly dislike Frey. 

Frey has a host of wealthy donors and more name recognition, and the numbers have shown time and time again that young people overall don’t vote in large numbers. Moreover, Fateh has struggled to overcome ethnic and Islamophobic prejudice. 

Mohamud said this likely won’t change any time soon under the current presidential administration and political climate. 

This idea is where much of the optimism for Fateh’s mayorship comes from. Many see him as someone capable of fighting back against America’s rightward regression. 

While Mujteba is a Muslim himself, he said people of numerous religious ideologies support Fateh.  

“I think he shows that good policy transcends most divides,” Mujteba said. 

Hopefully, that holds true on election day, and if not, the notoriety he’s gained this year, especially through his work with the Baddies, will likely set him up for future success.