Morning Digest: One of next year's top races for mayor is already a contentious affair

Democratic socialists are on the rise in Minneapolis, and they've got their sights on the establishment

State Sen. Omar Fateh, candidate for mayor of Minneapolis (credit: Omar Fateh Facebook)

Leading Off

Minneapolis, MN Mayor

State Sen. Omar Fateh announced Monday that he would challenge Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in next year's ranked-choice election to lead Minnesota's largest city.

Fateh, whose parents immigrated from Somalia, would be the first Muslim to lead this heavily Democratic municipality. The senator, whom the Minnesota Star Tribune's Deena Winter notes is also the "only self-identified democratic socialist" in the legislature, also highlighted Frey's acrimonious relationship with the 13-member City Council as he kicked off his bid.

"Everyone in City Hall is a Democrat; there’s no reason why we can’t be getting things done," Fateh told Winter.

One of those councilmembers, Emily Koski, has also expressed interest in taking on Frey, a former ally she's repeatedly broken with over the last year. Minnesota Morning Take reported Monday that Koski "is expected to announce soon." Koski's late father, Albert Hofstede, served as mayor in the 1970s.

Pastor DeWayne Davis launched his own campaign against Frey in October. Davis made history last year when he became the first Black and gay person to serve as chaplain for the state Senate, but it remains to be seen if he has the connections required to wage a serious race.

As for Frey, he told Winter last month that he was "preparing" to seek a third term, though he added he was "not making any formal announcements yet."

Frey, who won this office in 2017 by unseating incumbent Betsy Hodges, has had a difficult tenure. Minneapolis was thrust into the national spotlight after police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in 2020; a year later, a contentious debate raged over an effort by the City Council to abolish the police department.

Frey came out against that plan, a move that his detractors hoped would make him vulnerable. But Frey went on to defeat former state Rep. Kate Knuth 56-44 in the final round of ranked-choice tabulations as voters rejected the council's ballot measure to replace the policy with a "Department of Public Safety" by the same margin.

Local elections in 2023, however, represented a major setback for Frey. Candidates backed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and its allies secured seven of the 13 seats on the City Council despite a huge financial disadvantage. And while Koski won reelection on a pro-Frey slate, she's often found herself aligned with the majority of her colleagues against the mayor.

Over the last year, Frey has issued what Winter characterizes as "numerous vetoes," though the City Council has often overridden him. Frey has faulted councilors for passing ordinances he says they haven't fully considered and would not achieve their desired goals.

Most recently, Frey nixed a plan to create a city labor board that the mayor predicted would be "so lopsided" against businesses that most would not participate. The ordinance passed by a veto-proof majority, and the City Council will decide this month whether to defy the mayor again.

Fateh and other critics, though, believe the incumbent is the source of "fighting and gridlock" and is the one who needs to be replaced.

"Minneapolis is full of people with big ideas," the senator declared in a kickoff video, "but we don't have a mayor ready to invest in the long-term solutions that bring security to our communities."

Senate

KY-Sen

Even though Mitch McConnell is giving up his post as leader of the Senate GOP, he has yet to say whether he'll retire when his term is up in two years. A spokesperson tells the Lexington Herald Leader's Austin Horn that the senator "hasn't made an announcement about his 2026 plans," though naturally, there's already a ton of speculation about possible replacements.

ME-Sen

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who cannot seek reelection due to term limits, declined to rule out a challenge to Republican Sen. Susan Collins in 2026 when asked by Randy Billings of the Portland Press Herald.

"Right now, I've got two years to finish up my term and do the best I can for the people of Maine," Mills said. She added she was "pleased" that Collins will chair the Appropriate Committee, calling it "an asset for the state of Maine."

Mills, who is 76, has served in public office almost continually since 1980. Her one bid for Congress came in 1994, when she finished third in the Democratic primary for what was then the open 1st District. The 71-year-old Collins, meanwhile, said last month that it is her "intention" to seek a sixth term.

Governors

CT-Gov

Democrat Ned Lamont, one of half a dozen sitting governors eligible to seek a third term in 2026, tells David Krechevsky of the Hartford Business Journal that he won't make a decision "until the end of the next session" of the legislature. That session is set to conclude in early June.

No Republicans have yet announced a bid, though New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart said in September she was considering the race after announcing she would not seek a seventh two-year term for her current post.

The 37-year-old Stewart in the past has been branded a proverbial rising star in the state GOP, though she abandoned a short-lived campaign for governor in 2018 only to lose the primary for lieutenant governor a few months later. She also considered a second gubernatorial run in 2022 but declined.

NJ-Gov

Rep. LaMonica McIver has endorsed Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in next year's crowded Democratic primary for governor of New Jersey, a move that comes two weeks after fellow Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman did so.

Another candidate, former state Sen. Stephen Sweeney, previously earned the support of Rep. Donald Norcross and Rep.-elect Herb Conaway. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill, by contrast, have yet to receive an endorsement from other members of the state's delegation to the 119th Congress.

House

FL-01

Nathan Nelson, a former aide to Matt Gaetz, has dropped his bid for his old boss's former seat in Congress and instead backed Donald Trump's pick, Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis.

While a number of other contenders have deferred to Patronis in the special election for the vacant 1st District, he still faces state Rep. Joel Rudman and a few lesser-known foes. Rudman, whose resignation from the legislature will take effect on New Year's Day, responded to Nelson's departure by tweeting, "I guess I’m a rare breed. I mean what I say, and say what I mean."

FL-06

Following Donald Trump's endorsement of state Sen. Randy Fine last week, much of the Republican field has bailed on the special election for Florida's 6th District, which will become vacant when Rep. Mike Waltz resigns to become Trump's national security advisor.

The new dropouts include Ernest Audino, Waltz's district director and a retired Army brigadier general; former Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins; and Air Force veteran Steve Rance. A few minor names remain, but Fine should have little trouble winning the Jan. 28 primary. The general election for this conservative seat in the Daytona Beach area is April 1.

Senate & Governors

Axios' Andrew Solender reports that about 10 members of the House whose names hadn't previously come up as potential candidates for Senate or governor could potentially seek a promotion in 2026. Most did not speak publicly about their plans, though, apart from two Republicans: Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett says he isn't ruling out a bid for governor, while South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman says he's thinking both about challenging Sen. Lindsey Graham for renomination and running for governor.

Judges

NC Supreme Court

Republican Jefferson Griffin requested a second recount of the results of his close race for the North Carolina Supreme Court on Monday afternoon, even though an initial recount had not yet concluded.

That first recount should have been completed last week, but five of the state's 100 counties had yet to finalize their results as of Monday evening. Preliminary results excluding those five counties showed Democratic Justice Allison Riggs' lead dropping from 734 votes to 643 votes.

In a second recount, ballots would be inspected manually in a random sample of 3% of precincts in each county. Only if, by extrapolation, this "hand-to-eye" recount would result in a reversal of the results would a manual recount of all ballots be undertaken.

Mayors & County Leaders

King County, WA Executive

King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay entered next year's race for county executive on Monday while touting high-profile endorsements from Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union 3000, the state's largest union.

Zahilay, who was born to Ethiopian refugees in Sudan, first won election to the council in 2019 by ousting incumbent Larry Gossett. While the race to replace the retiring county executive, Dow Constantine, is officially nonpartisan, Zahilay is a Democrat, as are the two candidates he's joining, County Assessor John Wilson and fellow Councilmember Claudia Balducci.