The reason he lost wasn’t because of Somalis or qabil , he actually got most of the Somali vote. Even if every Somali voted against him, it wouldn’t have mattered; they’re less than 1% of the total electorate. It would have mattered more if it was a local city council election where he was running in a ward with a heavy Somali population. So Somalis going crazy all over the web are doing it for nothing, to be honest. Waa dad iska hadlaya.
Most of his votes came from non-Somalis. Despite his soft-spoken demeanor, he was able to build a broad grassroots coalition that cut across every demographic, and he reached people with far less funding. He’s very popular and respected across the city council, county offices, and the state legislature, and he’s known for working collaboratively with other candidates
The real reason he lost is because a significant number of stubborn, wealthy suburban whites voted for Frey, and the entire Democratic establishment was against him. They blocked him from receiving the DFL endorsement, even though the Minneapolis DFL itself was behind him. Even Governor Tim Walz and other establishment Democrats endorsed Jacob Frey. They basically collaborated with the right wing against him.
With zero support and zero endorsement from the establishment, this dude still came incredibly close and that alone is impressive. Running on a people-centered platform is a winning strategy, and liberals are scared of that. Fateh coming that close to victory against a long-tenured incumbent might honestly be more impressive than Zohran winning an open race with a universally hated opponent.
That guy waa geesi geesi dhalay , he ran such a positive and inspiring campaign while facing so much vitriol and bigotry. It speaks to his courage and focus on his mission.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s still a victory for him. He remains a state senator, which is technically a higher position than mayor, and all legislation passes through him and his colleagues. Many of the progressive candidates who ran alongside him won seats in city hall, on the school board, and on the county commission, creating a strong progressive supermajority that will challenge Frey and override his vetoes. It’s going to be a nightmare for Frey the next 4 years. Meanwhile, Omar has built even greater recognition for himself, so the next time he runs, he’ll be coming back stronger.
