Ilhan Omar betrayed the Democrat Party in a move no one could’ve seen coming
The Left are falling apart internally. And this could be the nail in the coffin.
Because Ilhan Omar betrayed the Democrat Party in a move no one could’ve seen coming.
Ilhan Omar Criticizes DFL for Revoking Fateh’s Endorsement, Ignoring Procedural Failures
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a prominent member of the progressive “Squad,” sharply criticized the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) on August 21, after it revoked its endorsement of State Sen. Omar Fateh for the 2025 Minneapolis mayoral race, citing “substantial failures” in the July 19 convention’s voting process. Omar called the decision “inexcusable” and a “stain on our party,” arguing it disenfranchised Minneapolis delegates and deepened divisions between progressive and moderate DFL factions.
Joined by over a dozen local DFL officials, including seven state legislators and five Minneapolis City Council members, Omar claimed the move silenced progressive voices and unfairly targeted Fateh, the first Black mayoral candidate endorsed by the DFL in three decades.
However, her failure to acknowledge documented irregularities, such as 176 miscounted votes and an unsecured credentials sheet, has drawn scrutiny for prioritizing ideology over electoral integrity, undermining the party’s efforts to ensure fairness in a chaotic process.
Convention Chaos and DFL Response
The Minneapolis DFL’s July convention, held at Target Center, was marred by technical and procedural issues, including a flawed electronic voting system that undercounted votes and erroneously eliminated candidate DeWayne Davis, per a state DFL report.
The final endorsement vote, a show-of-hands count after many of Mayor Jacob Frey’s supporters left, gave Fateh over 60% of delegate votes, but Frey’s campaign challenged the process, citing nearly 200 missing votes and an unsecured credentials book accessed by non-members, including campaign staff.
The state DFL’s Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules Committee, led by Chair Richard Carlbom, vacated the endorsement, barred the Minneapolis DFL from further endorsements in 2025, and placed it on two-year probation, requiring oversight and a best-practices plan.
Frey welcomed the decision, stating it corrected an “inaccurate and obviously flawed process,” while Fateh’s campaign decried it as “disenfranchisement” driven by “establishment” interests, including Frey donors.
Omar’s Role and Party Tensions
Omar’s outspoken defense of Fateh, a self-described democratic socialist who won the endorsement over Frey, a centrist incumbent, has intensified scrutiny of her role in stoking party divisions.
Her claim that the decision by “mostly out-state” DFL members undermines Minneapolis voters overlooks the committee’s findings of significant procedural errors, which even Fateh’s supporters acknowledged, per Axios Twin Cities. Critics argue Omar’s rhetoric, including her past accusations of “disturbingly motivated” efforts to silence progressives, inflames tensions rather than fostering the unity Carlbom emphasized in his call to elect DFL leaders focused on affordability.
The controversy follows Omar’s history of contentious actions, including 2018 campaign finance allegations, which she dismissed as politically motivated, and her 2020 primary underperformance against a moderate challenger, per FiveThirtyEight.
As the November 2025 mayoral race approaches, Omar’s lack of endorsement in the race and her focus on progressive grievances risk alienating moderate voters in a city grappling with public safety and affordability challenges.
