Minneapolis DFL asks state party to reinstate endorsement of Omar Fateh for mayor
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The Minneapolis DFL is asking the state party to reinstate its endorsement of State Senator Omar Fateh for mayor.
Fateh won the endorsement over incumbent mayor Jacob Frey at the Minneapolis DFL convention in July, but a state DFL committee later rescinded it following an investigation.
In its report, the Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules Committee (CBRC) said there were problems with the electronic voting system that could have changed the results of the endorsement vote, among other issues with the convention.
The Minneapolis DFL has now appealed that decision to another state DFL committee.
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“This endorsement was the clear will of the elected delegates, and to overturn it is to substitute CRBC’s judgment for the judgment of the convention,” reads part of the appeal.
In its appeal, the Minneapolis DFL alleges that members of the CBRC had conflicts of interest that could have influenced the investigation and the decision to overturn the endorsement.
The appeal also argues that the CBRC violated party rules by overriding decisions made by convention delegates.
That included the response to problems with the convention’s electronic voting system. The appeal says delegates at the convention were made aware of a problem with the first round of voting on mayoral endorsements. Convention leaders held a vote on whether to re-do the ballot; delegates voted to move ahead and accept the vote’s results. The Minneapolis DFL wrote in its appeal that party rules allow delegates to make those decisions.
“In overruling the convention delegates’ decisions, the CBRC has corrupted the DFL’s ‘bottom-up’ process,” read a statement from the Minneapolis DFL regarding the appeal. “Widespread distrust and feelings of betrayal have emerged among many party members, not least in the urban core of Minneapolis.”
The state DFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The party's State Executive Committee will consider the appeal.
