Political Analyst Says No DFL Endorsement For Mayor Benefits Incumbent Jacob Frey

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis has unresolved issues right now -- issues that are bound to be on the minds of voters when they go to the polls in November.

The mayor and all 13 city council seats will be on ballots.

WCCO has reported in-depth on the city's problems, from the rise in crime, to public safety issues, to racial equity and what the Minneapolis Police Department will look like in the future.

Adding to the turmoil: the Minneapolis DFL did not endorse a candidate for mayor at its convention.

In a year where events have led to a weekly, if not daily escalation of tensions, Mayor Jacob Frey, who would be seen anywhere else in the state as a left-leaning progressive, has emerged as a centrist insisting there will be law and order.

"This ongoing occupation of a street or intersection in a way that is counter to access and is simply not safe, that is where we have an obligation to step in and say no," Frey said on Monday.

At the DFL endorsing convention, newcomer and progressive activist Sheila Nezhad got 53% of delegates' support, while Frey got 40%. Sixty percent is needed for the endorsement. Nezhad is claiming victory, saying she will carry the banner for the majority of voters who are progressives who want to do away with the Minneapolis Police Department.

"I am talking about building up alternatives so that people get the right response to the right call for help," Nezhad said.

Professor Larry Jacobs says the lack of endorsement suggests DFL voters are swinging to the middle amidst a surge in crime and protests.

"I think this is good news for Mayor Frey, right now being a candidate in favor of defunding the police is a losing argument in all likelihood for winning the mayoral race come November," Jacobs said.

There is time for more candidates to jump in. The official filing deadline is July 27 to Aug. 10 and the actual election is Nov. 2.

The mayoral election in Minneapolis will once again be conducted with ranked choice voting.