2021 Minneapolis mayoral election explained

Election Name:2021 Minneapolis mayoral election
Country:Minneapolis
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2017 Minneapolis mayoral election
Previous Year:2017
Next Election:2025 Minneapolis mayoral election
Next Year:2025
Election Date:[1]
1Blank:First round
2Blank:Final round
Image1:Frey 2021 0145 F (1).jpg
Candidate1:Jacob Frey
Party1:Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
1Data1:61,468
42.8%
2Data1:70,669
56.2%
Candidate2:Kate Knuth
Party2:Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
1Data2:26,468
18.4%
2Data2:55,007
43.8%
Image3:File:Sheila Nezhad (51650402939).jpg
Candidate3:Sheila Nezhad
Party3:Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
1Data3:30,368
21.1%
2Data3:Eliminated
Mayor
Before Election:Jacob Frey
Before Party:Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
After Election:Jacob Frey
After Party:Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Map Size:100px

A mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the mayor of the U.S. city of Minneapolis. Incumbent DFL mayor Jacob Frey won reelection to a second term, becoming the first Minneapolis mayor to win a second term since R. T. Rybak in 2005. Minneapolis mayoral elections use instant-runoff voting, also known as ranked-choice voting. All candidates appear on the same ballot and there is no primary election, nor is there a runoff. Minneapolis's twin city, Saint Paul, also held a mayoral election on the same day, using the same system.

The election came in the wake of a tumultuous period for Minneapolis, deeply affected by the murder of George Floyd and subsequent civil unrest.[2] Frey's campaign faced challenges from a crowded field of candidates, including former state Representative Kate Knuth and community organizer Sheila Nezhad. Both Knuth and Nezhad aligned with more progressive factions within the DFL and advocated for policing reforms and formed an alliance urging their supporters to rank them as their top choices and exclude Frey from their preferences.[3] [4]

The election also featured discussions on issues such as affordable housing, climate change, and economic recovery post-COVID-19 lockdowns.[5]

Background

2017 election

See main article: 2017 Minneapolis mayoral election. Frey announced his candidacy for mayor of Minneapolis on January 3, 2017,[6] and won the November 7 election.[7] [8] He was sworn into office on January 2, 2018.

Frey is Minneapolis's second Jewish mayor, and its second-youngest after Al Hofstede, who was 34 when he was elected in 1973.[9] Frey campaigned on a platform of increasing support for affordable housing and improving police-community relations.

Candidates

Declared

Withdrew

Endorsements

Seven DFL members of the Minnesota State Legislature signed a letter urging Minneapolis residents not to reelect Frey and to instead elect a new mayor who would fight racial discrimination while improving public safety. The legislators who signed the letter were senators Scott Dibble and Omar Fateh and representatives Esther Agbaje, Jim Davnie, Aisha Gomez, Emma Greenman, and Hodan Hassan. The letter stops short of endorsing any specific candidate,[26] but Agbaje, Davnie, Dibble, and Greenman separately endorsed Knuth. Gomez endorsed both Nezhad and Knuth.[27]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports (1/1/2021—7/27/2021)
CandidateTotal raisedExpensesCash on hand
Nate Atkins$13,041$10,616$2,424
AJ Awed$263,005$235,464$27,598
Troy Benjegerdes$0$0$0
Bob Carney$0$0$0
Clint Conner$60,450$45,589$14,860
Christopher David$912$712$200
Jacob Frey$676,271$754,283$155,767
Mark Globus$25,420$23,413$2,006
Marcus Harcus$0$0$0
Paul Johnson$3,225$2,305$919
Kate Knuth$227,505$179,710$47,795
Sheila Nezhad$231,501$186,529$49,667
Jerrell Perry$4,564$3,983$581
Laverne Turner$1,830$1,042$753
Mike Winter$150$150$0
[28]

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
RCV
count
OthersExhausted
ballots
Undecided
ALG Research (D)October 16–19, 2021600 (LV)± 4.0%13%44%10%25%4%13%
345%12%26%4%13%
447%27%12%13%

Results

2021 Minneapolis mayoral general election[29]
- style="background:#eee; text-align:center;" ! rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" Candidate ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" Round 1 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" Round 2 - ! Votes % ! Votes % - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" (incumbent) 61,620 70,669 - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 30,368 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 26,468 55,007 - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 6,860 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 4,620 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 4,309 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 2,788 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 1,189 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 1,179 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 1,158 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 739 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 687 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 642 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 493 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 282 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 243 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" 184 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - - ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" Write-ins 145 ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" - -colspan=14 style="text-align:center;" - ---> -style="background:#eee;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" Inactive ballots ! colspan="2" 0 ballots ! colspan="2" 18,298 ballots- -style="background:#eee;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" Total 143,974 100.0% 143,974 100.0% -

Notes

Partisan clients

See also

External links

Official campaign websites

Notes and References

  1. News: Minneapolis-St. Paul Election Results. The New York Times. November 2, 2021.
  2. Web site: Rio . Giulia McDonnell Nieto del . Eligon . John . Hassan . Adeel . A Timeline of What Has Happened in the Year Since George Floyd’s Death . The New York Times . 2021-05-25 . 2023-11-11.
  3. Web site: Gustavo . Solomon . Four takeaways from the Minneapolis DFL’s mayoral endorsement process . MinnPost . 2021-06-18 . 2024-03-02.
  4. Web site: Kaul . Greta . An internal poll showed Frey with a 19-point lead in the Minneapolis mayoral race. But in an RCV election, he could still lose. . MinnPost . 2021-10-26 . 2024-03-02.
  5. Web site: Collins . Jon . Birnstengel . Grace . Voter guide: Minneapolis mayoral candidates . MPR News . 2021-10-20 . 2024-03-02.
  6. News: Council Member Jacob Frey announces bid for mayor of Minneapolis. Belz. Adam. January 3, 2017. Star Tribune. February 15, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170107184109/http://www.startribune.com/council-member-jacob-frey-announces-bid-for-mayor-of-minneapolis/409594065/#1. January 7, 2017. live.
  7. Web site: Belz. Adam. November 9, 2017. Jacob Frey wins mayor election in Minneapolis. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171108213615/http://www.startribune.com/jacob-frey-wins-mayor-election-in-minneapolis/456171613/. November 8, 2017. November 8, 2017. Star Tribune.
  8. Web site: 2017 Mayor Election Results Tabulation - Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171108213616/http://vote.minneapolismn.gov/results/2017/2017-mayor-tabulation. November 8, 2017. November 8, 2017. vote.minneapolismn.gov.
  9. News: Belz. Adam. Jacob Frey wins mayor election in Minneapolis. April 5, 2018. Star Tribune. November 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180204114550/http://www.startribune.com/jacob-frey-wins-mayor-election-in-minneapolis/456171613/. February 4, 2018. live.
  10. Web site: Nate Atkins for Mayor. 2021-07-23. en-US.
  11. Web site: Mayoral election in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2021).
  12. Web site: A.J. Awed joins race for Minneapolis mayor. 2021-06-08. Star Tribune.
  13. Web site: Snapshot: Who's running for Minneapolis mayor and why.
  14. Web site: 35 candidates later who will be the next Minneapolis mayor?. MSNBC.
  15. Web site: Troy Benjegerdes . LinkedIn.
  16. Web site: Meet Clint Conner —. 2021-08-10. clintconner2021.com. en-US. August 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210810194150/https://clintconner2021.com/meet-clint-conner. dead.
  17. Web site: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says he's running for re-election. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210121174230/https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-mayor-jacob-frey-says-he-s-running-for-re-election/600013316/ . January 21, 2021 . Star Tribune.
  18. Web site: Globus Announces for Mayor – Mark Globus. May 16, 2021. 2021-05-22. en-US.
  19. Web site: Two activists are planning to do something novel when it comes to the debate over recreational marijuana in Minnesota: Debate. March 5, 2019.
  20. Web site: Paul Johnson for Minneapolis Mayor Paul Johnson For Mayor Minneapolis. 2021-08-10. Paul4Mpls. en.
  21. Web site: Ex-Rep. Kate Knuth jumps into Minneapolis mayoral race to take on Jacob Frey. 2021-06-08. news.yahoo.com. en-US.
  22. Web site: Sheila for the People. 2021-06-08. Sheila for the People. en-US.
  23. Web site: GOP icons inspire Jeff Johnson's quest for Minnesota governor. Star Tribune.
  24. Web site: Who's running for mayor of Minneapolis? – Southside Pride.
  25. Web site: Field of 56 candidates for Minneapolis offices seeking DFL endorsements. 2021-03-21. Star Tribune.
  26. Web site: Divided left field of Minneapolis mayoral hopefuls have unified message: Don't rank Frey. Liz Navratil Star. Tribune. Star Tribune.
  27. Web site: Dr. Kate Knuth (@kateformpls) • Instagram photos and videos .
  28. Web site: Campaign Finance Reporting System * version 2.2 . www16.co.hennepin.mn.us . 11 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211030221548/https://www16.co.hennepin.mn.us/cfrs/search.do?searchBy=candidate_location&ps=46&pn=0&alpha=null&filterBy=null&city=Minneapolis&office=Mayor&district=null . 30 October 2021 . dead.
  29. Web site: Minneapolis . City of . 2021 Mayor results . City of Minneapolis . 2021-11-02 . 2022-08-29.