Local elections are heating up as we plunge into the coldest days of winter.
Over the past few weeks, members of the Minneapolis City Council have started to announce whether or not they will run for reelection in the fall, and four democratic challengers have emerged so far in the mayoral race against two-term Mayor Jacob Frey. At least two of the City’s 13 ward seats will be open due to councilmembers stepping away from local politics or seeking higher office.
As an enterprise, Minneapolis Voices is still planning its upcoming election coverage, but we figured it would be helpful to start with this candidate tracker, which we will continue to update as more people toss their hats in the ring.
Two of Frey's mayoral challengers currently hold office: Minnesota Sen. Omar Fateh and Ward 11 Councilmember Emily Koski.
Fateh 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.
Koski has represented Ward 11, the southernmost part of Minneapolis, for almost three years. She hopes to follow in the footsteps of her father, Albert Hofstede, who was mayor of Minneapolis in the ‘70s. Southwest Voices covered Koski’s campaign announcement from Pearl Park last week.
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.
Brenda Short was the latest candidate to announce a mayoral campaign. She is a homeowner and small business owner in South Minneapolis who unsuccessfully ran for the Ward 9 seat in 2021.
Mayoral candidates:
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 next November.
Other than Michael Rainville of Ward 3, most City Council members haven’t publicly shared their intentions to run for another term in office.
Jeremiah Ellison announced in late November that he is not running for reelection in Ward 5. Since then, two candidates have come forward in the uncontested race.
Ward 11 will also be an open seat since Koski is running for mayor. A lifelong southsider who works as a police reform attorney for the City, Jamison Whiting, launched his campaign shortly after Koski's announcement.
City Council candidates:
- Elliott Payne (incumbent)
- Robin Wonsley (incumbent)
- Michael Rainville (incumbent)
- Jacob Thomas
- LaTrisha Vetaw (incumbent)
- Miles Wilson
- Ethropic Burnett
- Jamal Osman (incumbent)
- Katie Cashman (incumbent)
- Paula Chesley
- Andrea Jenkins (incumbent)
- Jason Chavez (incumbent)
- Aisha Chughtai (incumbent)
- Aurin Chowdhury (incumbent)
- Linea Palmisano (incumbent)
