Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) leader Rep. Ilhan Omar has strongly condemned the state party’s decision to revoke Sen. Omar Fateh’s endorsement, warning it could widen divisions within the party between progressives and moderates. The move follows a report finding that an electronic system used in Minneapolis was “substantially flawed,” leading to undercounted votes.
Fateh, a democratic socialist, initially won the Minneapolis DFL endorsement over Mayor Jacob Frey in July. However, his victory drew numerous challenges due to allegations of delays and miscounted votes. The state party’s Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules Committee has now revoked Fateh’s endorsement, citing the flawed electronic system.
Omar claims this decision sets a “dangerous precedent” and undermines the DFL endorsing process, which she believes fails to center the will of delegates. She also criticized new DFL Party chair Richard Carlbom for this move, stating it goes against his campaign promise to unite the party.
The decision is seen as significant with democratic socialist candidates gaining momentum nationwide, including a recent win by Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral primary. With Omar yet to make an endorsement in the mayoral race, other high-profile Democrats have also kept their backing for Mayor Frey.
Source: https://www.startribune.com/ilhan-omar-condemns-dfl-decision-to-revoke-omar-fateh-endorsement-in-minneapolis-mayors-race/601459741