The Squad Chaos inside the Democratic Party is boiling over again, this time in Minnesota. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), lashed out at her own state party, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), after leaders revoked their endorsement of state Sen. Omar Fateh, a self-described “democratic socialist,” for Minneapolis mayor.
Omar vented on X: “It is inexcusable to overturn the DFL endorsement from Omar Fateh. A small group, a majority living outside Minneapolis, met privately to overturn the will of Minneapolis delegates who volunteered, organized, and participated in a months-long DFL process. Unacceptable.”
DFL leaders said they pulled support due to “substantial failures” in the endorsement convention process, but Omar and her progressive allies quickly framed the move as an attack on the party’s far-left faction. In a letter signed with other DFL officials, she declared, “Right now, there is a clear tension between the progressive Democrats who are challenging the status quo and moderate Democrats.”
Fateh, who proudly told Jacobin Magazine in 2020 that he is a “democratic socialist,” would have been the first Black mayoral candidate in decades endorsed by the DFL. His candidacy already set him against current Mayor Jacob Frey, a more establishment Democrat seeking a third term.
Omar blasted party leaders again, claiming: “Undoubtedly, this appalling decision will leave many voters feeling discouraged and unwelcome from participating in our party.”
The drama underscores the deep fractures tearing Democrats apart—fractures Republicans will likely use to their advantage in 2025 and beyond.
