Minnesota State Sen. Omar Fateh is receiving high-profile backing from present and former Squad members Ilhan Omar and Jamaal Bowman as he campaigns for mayor of Minneapolis, marking a present of unity amongst progressive Democrats following months of inner get together divisions.
Omar Fateh, a Democratic state senator and self-described democratic socialist, has drawn public endorsements from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) in his bid to turn into mayor of Minneapolis. The present of help underscores the continued affect of the progressive “Squad” coalition inside Democrat politics, whilst a few of its members have confronted backlash and electoral setbacks.
In a video filmed collectively, Omar and Fateh appeared to debate town’s rising prices, housing challenges, and the necessity for what they described as “new, daring management.” Omar stated Minneapolis residents “are struggling to make ends meet” and “bored with the damaged guarantees and the vetoes,” whereas Fateh emphasised his purpose of “constructing an inexpensive metropolis that working households can name residence.”
Fateh’s marketing campaign platform consists of elevating town’s minimal wage to $20 per hour by 2028, instituting hire stabilization, increasing non-police emergency response groups, and lobbying for a neighborhood earnings tax on excessive earners. He has additionally pledged to withstand cooperation between native police and federal immigration enforcement, stating that Minneapolis ought to “stand as much as Donald Trump” and “defend all communities.”
Fateh adopted up with a graphic quoting Omar’s assertion, which learn, “Minneapolis deserves a champion for working folks,” and expressed her intention to rank Fateh as her “first alternative for mayor.” On Friday, Fateh introduced an upcoming “Northside Doorknock” occasion with Jamaal Bowman, calling the previous congressman “an inspiration to so many individuals throughout the nation.”
Bowman misplaced his reelection bid in 2024 after a sequence of controversies, together with pulling a Capitol hearth alarm throughout a authorities funding vote and later pleading responsible to a misdemeanor. Capitol Police and the Home Administration Committee investigated the incident after cameras confirmed Bowman eradicating warning indicators and triggering the alarm simply earlier than a essential vote to keep away from a authorities shutdown. He was fined $1,000 and required to write down an apology to Capitol Police.
Bowman was later defeated by Westchester County Govt George Latimer in what turned probably the most costly Home main in American historical past, with greater than $23 million spent. The race ended his time in Congress after one time period and was seen as a serious setback for the progressive “Squad.” Earlier than leaving workplace, he known as for the US to simply accept Palestinian refugees and was among the many few Democrats who refused to help further navy help to Israel.
Omar, in the meantime, has remained one among Fateh’s strongest allies. The congresswoman has beforehand confronted criticism over her personal report, together with questions on her private funds — which grew from roughly $51,000 to as a lot as $30 million in a single yr — and a federal election criticism associated to just about $230,000 in marketing campaign funds to her husband’s consulting agency. She additionally gained consideration for remarks calling the US a “police state” beneath President Trump and suggesting the nation was changing into “one of many worst on the planet.”
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