Who's running for mayor and City Council in Minneapolis?

The races for Minneapolis mayor and all 13 of the City's ward seats are growing more crowded as November nears.

Mayor Jacob Frey faces several challengers, including Minnesota Sen. Omar Fateh, as he seeks his third – and final – term in office. Three of the City's ward seats will be open, with Councilmembers Jeremiah Ellison (Ward 5), Andrea Jenkins (Ward 8), and Emily Koski (Ward 11) not seeking re-election in the fall.

Mayoral race

Mayoral candidates:

DeWayne Davis
Omar Fateh
Jacob Frey (incumbent)
Jazz Hampton
Emily Koski – dropped out of the race in mid-April
Brenda Short ‍
Howard Dotson

The Rev. DeWayne Davis was first to announce his candidacy for mayor in mid-October. He is currently the lead pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church in the Stevens Square neighborhood and recently served as the chaplain of the Minnesota State Senate.

Then came Minnesota Sen. Omar Fateh, who was elected in 2020 and 2022 as the Minnesota State Senate representative for District 62, which covers much of Southwest Minneapolis. He’s best known as a champion of statewide rideshare regulations intended to boost drivers’ pay.

Southwest Voices covered Koski’s campaign announcement from Pearl Park in early December. Koski has represented Ward 11, the southernmost part of Minneapolis, for almost three years. She initially hoped to follow in the footsteps of her father, Albert Hofstede, who was mayor of Minneapolis in the ‘70s. However, Koski decided to end her mayoral campaign in mid-April, citing the toxic political climate.

Brenda Short, a homeowner and small business owner in South Minneapolis, tossed her hat in shortly after Koski. Short unsuccessfully ran against Councilmember Jason Chavez for the Ward 9 seat in 2021, receiving 4% of the vote.

Jazz Hampton was the latest candidate to enter the increasingly crowded mayoral race. He is the CEO and co-founder of TurnSignl, an on-demand app that connects drivers to lawyers during traffic stops. A lawyer himself, Hampton served on the legal team for Marvin Haynes, who was exonerated in 2023 for a 2004 North Minneapolis murder.

Frey officially launched his re-election campaign in late January. He said it will be his final term if he wins. Frey served as the Ward 3 representative for four years before becoming mayor in 2017.

Minneapolis Voices interviews with mayoral candidates:

Mayor Jacob Frey seeks a final term to help Minneapolis rebound

Jazz Hampton wants to unify Minneapolis

DeWayne Davis wants everyone at the table

Emily Koski feels uniquely positioned to be Minneapolis’ strong mayor

Omar Fateh will work across the aisle if elected mayor

Ward races

The 2024-25 Minneapolis City Council; clockwise from top left, Jason Chavez (Ward 9), Jamal Osman (Ward 6), Elliott Payne (Ward 1), LaTrisha Vetaw (Ward 4), Michael Rainville (Ward 3), Katie Cashman (Ward 7), Emily Koski (Ward 11), Robin Wonsley (Ward 2), Linea Palmisano (Ward 13), Aurin Chowdhury (Ward 12), Andrea Jenkins (Ward 8), Jeremiah Ellison (Ward 5), and Aisha Chughtai (Ward 10). Photo courtesy of the City of Minneapolis

The makeup of the Minneapolis City Council could look a lot different at the beginning of 2026, since elections will be held in each ward in November.

Running for reelection are Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne (Ward 1) and Councilmembers Robin Wonsley (Ward 2), Michael Rainville (Ward 3), LaTrisha Vetaw (Ward 4), Jamal Osman (Ward 6), Katie Cashman (Ward 7), Jason Chavez (Ward 9), Aisha Chughtai (Ward 10), Aurin Chowdhury (Ward 12), and Linea Palmisano (Ward 13).

Jeremiah Ellison announced in late November that he is not running for re-election in Ward 5. Since then, six candidates have come forward in the uncontested race.

Ward 8 representative Andrea Jenkins waited until early March to decide that she won't seek a fourth term in the fall. Two candidates are on the ballot as of now, including Soren Stevenson, who nearly beat Jenkins in 2023.

When Koski dropped out of the Minneapolis mayoral race in mid-April, she said she would not run for another term as the Ward 11 representative, leaving her seat open. Two candidates have come forward so far.

City Council candidates:

Ward 1