Who is Omar Fateh? Minneapolis mayoral candidate condemns racist attacks
Minneapolis mayoral candidate and Minnesota state Sen. Omar Fateh is calling out a slate of right-wing complaints regarding his legal status and Muslim identity.
The Washington, D.C. native and son of immigrant parents from Somalia is running in the city's 2025 mayoral election. While critics have condemned his progressive causes like rent freezes and minimum wage increases, some comments have escalated into online attacks about his appearance, religion and citizenship.
Fateh spoke out against hateful comments on X Monday night, July 14, replying to an anti-Islamic post from conservative political activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Fateh replied to Kirk's post, writing: "Minneapolis is a beautifully diverse city that stands firm in our progressive values. The hate I’ve seen today – and most days – is not who we will ever be."
Who is Omar Fateh?
Omar Fateh, 35, is a Democrat currently serving his second term as a state senator for Minnesota's 62nd district while running to be the next mayor of Minneapolis.
Born in Washington, D.C., Fateh said he is the son of immigrant parents from Somalia and is soon to be a father.
He earned a master’s degree in public administration at George Mason University and previously worked as a Minneapolis community specialist, project coordinator for the state's Department of Transportation and business analyst at the University of Minnesota.
When elected as a state senator in 2020, Fateh became the first Muslim and first Somali American to join the Minnesota Senate. He previously ran an unsuccessful campaign for the state senate seat in 2018, losing the Democratic primary to former state representative Hodan Hassan.
What are his promises as mayor?
In his run for mayor, Fateh identifies as a democratic socialist who, among other policies, vows to improve rideshare protections for Uber and Lyft drivers, combat police violence and increase the supply of affordable housing.
He promises to raise the city's minimum wage from $15.97 to $20 by 2028. The minimum wage in Minnesota is currently $11.13.
He also vows to stand up to the current President Donald Trump's administration, including not allowing city police to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"Whether its for an immigration raid or not, our resident's deserve a mayor that will stand up to Donald Trump and say, 'no, not in our community.'"
Comments come after Zohran Mamdani backlash
Grassroots organization TakeAction Minnesota condemned the comments toward Fateh's citizenship and Muslim identity.
"Islamophobia has no place in politics or our communities," the group wrote in an X post. "Sen. Fateh is right - this hate is not who we will ever be. We are organizing to elect leaders like Sen. Fateh because we share a vision for communities built around care and love - not hate."
The online attacks come after New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, 33, experienced similar hateful comments on his Muslim identity during his campaign for New York City mayor.
The democratic socialist garnered national attention after sweeping the city's Democratic mayoral primary in a stunning upset over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. If he wins the general election in November, he would become the city's first Muslim mayor and its first Asian American mayor.