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4h ago

Video of Minneapolis Mayoral Candidate Omar Fateh Waving Somali Flag Prompts GOP Criticism

The August 18 community-center clip shows the Minnesota state senator addressing Somali-American supporters in Somali and urging turnout for the November 4 election.

Omar Fateh
FILE - The interior of the Minnesota State Capitol is seen Monday, May 19, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt, File)
Incumbent Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, right, and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, left, attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the reopening of the renovated Stone Arch Bridge across the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis on July 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
Minneapolis Mayoral candidate Omar Fateh takes a selfie with a supporter at University of Minnesota, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Overview

  • Omar Fateh is seen in the video at Minneapolis’s Brian Coyle Community Center waving a Hiiraan State flag and speaking in Somali during a campaign rally.
  • The clip, posted to X, drew millions of views and condemnations from figures including Sen. Ted Cruz, podcaster Benny Johnson, and Rep. Tim Burchett.
  • Supporters defended the outreach as routine in a city with a large Somali population, noting Fateh’s heritage and the prevalence of multilingual campaigning.
  • The video features Fateh encouraging supporters to vote early as he challenges incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey in the ranked-choice election.
  • Fateh, a self-described democratic socialist and Minnesota state senator for District 62, campaigns on rent stabilization, a higher minimum wage, and making Minneapolis a safe haven for abortion and gender-affirming care, and has been compared to Zohran Mamdani; Times Now reports he trails Frey.