Incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey and main challenger Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL-Minneapolis) hosted election night parties Tuesday evening ahead of the 2025 mayoral election results. 

Frey sought a third four-year term this year, and during his tenure has increased pay to the Minneapolis Police Department and focused on downtown revitalization efforts such as improving Nicollet Mall and the Warehouse District. 

Frey spoke to his supporters as his votes stood at about 42%, missing the 50% required to declare a victory, leading results compared to Fateh’s about 32% of votes. A declared winner is expected Wednesday, after second-rank choice votes are tallied. 

In his speech, Frey focused on unity within Minneapolis and his campaign despite no declared victory. 

“We got what appears to be near record turnout,” Frey said in his speech. “And I’ll tell you what it looks damn good for us. We are well in the lead.”

He said he will make sure Minneapolis will be number one in the nation for housing, a foundation for public safety and will stand up against President Donald Trump. 

“We know that the opposite of Donald Trump extremism is not the opposite extreme. And the voters stood up and showed that today,” Frey said. “They showed us that the opposite of Donald Trump extremism is good, thoughtful, governance.” 

Fateh’s campaign has focused on affordability efforts, such as rent stabilization and wage increases. He has since grown to be a well-known Democratic Socialist candidate. 

Fateh spoke to his supporters at his election party ahead of the declared results, and thanked those who worked in his campaign and believed in his leadership. 

“Thank you for believing in this vision and fighting beside us. We go further when we work together,” Fateh said. “And our campaign has built the broadest coalition in this race, because strong co-governance has always been at this core.”

Despite 15 mayoral candidates running, Frey and Fateh emerged as the main contenders. Kai Shelley, one of Fateh’s campaign managers, said he was not available for an interview during his election night party. Frey was also not present at his party before results were announced. 

Fateh, who became a state senator in 2021, entered local headlines after his DFL endorsement fallout in September. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, as well as numerous city council members such as Robin Wonsley (Ward 2) and Council President Elliot Payne (Ward 1), endorsed him. 

Abu Dahab, Savage resident, said although he is not a Minneapolis resident, he still came out to show his support for Fateh. He said he feels like it’s time for a change away from Frey, and Fateh seems more authentic and genuine to him because of his campaign work with students and residents. 

“Jacob Frey said he would end homelessness in an extra amount of time and he lied about the number of encampments that we have,” Dahab said. “He thinks closing down one encampment would end other ones. That’s not a solution.” 

Fateh has been dubbed the “Mamdani of Minneapolis” in reference to Zorhan Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist candidate for New York City. Their campaigns align with urban affordability and rent stabilization. 

Amira Said, a 15-year-old attending Fateh’s party with her mother, said she supports him because of his efforts targeting younger people, such as advocating for tuition-free college. She added the highlight of his campaign was seeing how he unites communities together. 

“He understands how to connect to the youth and also the elders at the same time,” Said said. 

Sahra Koshin, from Northside Minneapolis, came out to support Fateh. She said his commitment to guaranteeing an increased minimum wage drew her to his campaign. 

Koshin added she once ran into Fateh in Cedar-Riverside and discussed youth safety in the area. 

“I had multiple conversations with him just being a, I guess, a random person in the city,” Koshin said. “I mean, he’s so quick to talk to someone, listen to their ideas.”

Critics of Frey called for an “anyone but Frey” strategy, and asked voters to rank candidates Fateh, Rev. Dewayne Davis and Jazz Hampton in any order on their rank-choice ballots. 

Faisal Cartan, a Somali community group leader, said he supports Frey because of his last eight years of work such as increasing MPD staff. 

“He knows the job,” Cartan said. “He’s the one who can do well in the community.” 

Frey, mayor since 2017 and reelected in 2021, led Minneapolis during the riots following the murder of George Floyd and through two consent decrees with the Minneapolis Police Department and state and federal governments. 

Jen Schulenberg, Frey campaign volunteer, said she has grown to love Frey as a candidate, especially after his work following the 2020 riots and COVID-19 pandemic. She said she hopes to see Frey’s vision for the transformation of commercial to residential buildings downtown come to fruition. 

“He’s a man of great integrity, character,” Schulenberg said. “We feel like he’s brought our city out of a lot of chaos.” 

Tom Schulenberg, Frey campaign volunteer, said one of Frey’s greatest accomplishments is decreasing crime and increasing affordable housing, compared to three years ago. He added he would like to see Frey increase police and public service resources for downtown. 

“I think the best thing about him is he espouses the opposite of Trump. Trump is not extreme liberalism. It’s rational governance,” Schulenburg said. “You don’t have to go all the way to the other side to fight Trump. You just have to do a good, good work.” 

Ramlo Mohamed, a New Brighton resident previously from Cedar-Riverside, said she came to Minneapolis to support Fateh. She said Fateh is a good fit for the community because he listens to the community instead of assuming what is right. 

“I can’t wait for the victory,” Mohamed said. “It’s going to be history.”