Omar Fateh

Fateh was born in Washington, D.C., and is the son of immigrants from Somalia. He graduated from Falls Church High School and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from George Mason University.{{cite web |title=Legislators Past and Present - Legislator Record - Fateh, Omar |url=https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?ID=15559 |website=Minnesota Legislative Reference Library}} Fateh spent summer breaks in Minneapolis as a child.{{cite news |last1=Jackson |first1=Zoë |title=New state senator's Socialist ambitions will face reality at Minnesota State Capitol |url=https://www.startribune.com/new-state-senator-s-socialist-ambitions-will-face-reality-at-minn-statehouse/600005923 |access-date=5 March 2025 |work=Star Tribune |date=2 January 2021 |language=en}}

Fateh ran for a school board seat in northern Virginia in 2015. He moved to Minneapolis shortly after, where he worked in multiple government positions, including a nonpartison job with the city in voter outreach. He ran an unsuccessful campaign for District 62A of the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018, losing the DFL primary to Hodan Hassan.{{cite web |title=Results for State Representative District 62A, 2018 State Primary|url=https://electionresults.sos.mn.gov/results/Index?ErsElectionId=114&scenario=StateRepresentative&DistrictId=477&show=Go|publisher=Minnesota Secretary of State |access-date=January 20, 2025|language=en}}

In 2020, Fateh announced a primary challenge to incumbent Senator Jeff Hayden. A self-declared democratic socialist, he received support from groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America and the Sunrise Movement.{{cite web|url=https://sahanjournal.com/politics/omar-fateh-jeff-hayden-minnesota-district-62-primary/|title=Progressive challenger Omar Fateh defeats longtime State Senator Jeff Hayden in Minnesota's Democratic primary|website=Sahan Journal|last1=Peters|first1=Joey|date=August 11, 2020|access-date=January 15, 2021}} He also received the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's endorsement.{{cite web|url=https://sahanjournal.com/politics/two-newcomers-oust-dfl-veterans-to-win-party-endorsement-for-minnesota-legislature/|title=Two newcomers oust DFL veterans to win party endorsement for Minnesota legislature|website=Sahan Journal|last1=Peters|first1=Joey|date=May 7, 2020|access-date=January 15, 2021}} Fateh defeated Hayden in the August primary, 54% to 45%,{{cite web|url=https://www.southwestjournal.com/news/2020-election/2020/08/ilhan-omar-defeats-challenger-two-state-reps-ousted-in-minneapolis/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817003113/https://www.southwestjournal.com/news/2020-election/2020/08/ilhan-omar-defeats-challenger-two-state-reps-ousted-in-minneapolis/|archive-date=2020-08-17 |url-status=dead | title=Ilhan Omar wins big; Fateh ousts Hayden|website=Southwest Journal|last1=Gotlieb|first1=Nate|date=August 12, 2020|access-date=January 15, 2021}} and was elected to the Minnesota Senate with 89% of the vote in the general election.{{cite web|url=https://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/results/Index?ErsElectionId=136&scenario=StateSenate&DistrictId=550&show=Go |title="Results for State Senator District 62" |publisher=Minnesota Secretary of State |access-date=January 12, 2021 }}

Fateh was sworn into the Minnesota legislature on Jan 5, 2021. During his first term, the Senate was under Republican control, while the DFL controlled the House and governor's office.{{Cite web |title=Caucus Chart - Minnesota Legislature |url=https://www.lrl.mn.gov/history/caucus_table |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=www.lrl.mn.gov}} Fateh authored 54 bills during the 2021-22 session, including a bill to exempt fentanyl test strips from being considered drug paraphernalia, which was passed and signed into law despite the divided government.{{Cite web |title=SF 1724 Status in the Senate for the 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) |url=https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=senate&f=SF1724&ssn=0&y=2021 |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=www.revisor.mn.gov}} In January 2023, the Star Tribune reported that since legalization, community organizations and nonprofits had given away more than 100,000 strips, and cited evidence from surveys demonstrating that the strips changed user behavior, noting that 89% of users "took overdose-prevention measures once they discovered fentanyl".{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=Chris Serres Star |title=As fatal overdoses surge, demand for fentanyl test strips grows in Minnesota |url=https://www.startribune.com/as-fatal-overdoses-surge-demand-for-fentanyl-test-strips-grows-in-minnesota/600245391/ |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=Star Tribune}}

In 2022, Fateh defeated a challenger in the August 9 DFL primary, winning every precinct.{{Cite web |title=Index - Election Results |url=https://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/Results/Index?ersElectionId=148&scenario=ResultsByPrecinctCrosstab&OfficeInElectionId=27798&QuestionId=0 |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=electionresults.sos.state.mn.us}} He then defeated Republican nominee Andrew Schmitz in the November general election with over 90% of the vote.{{Cite web |title=Index - Election Results |url=https://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/results/Index?ErsElectionId=149&scenario=StateSenate&DistrictId=550&show=Go |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=electionresults.sos.state.mn.us}} In 2022, Democrats won a "trifecta", taking control of the Senate, House, and governor's office.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-09 |title=Minnesota Democrats win Capitol 'trifecta' |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/11/09/minnesota-democrats-win-capitol-trifecta |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=MPR News |language=en}} Fateh was appointed chair of the Senate Higher Education committee and vice chair of the Senate Human Services Committee.{{Cite web |title=MN State Senate |url=https://www.senate.mn/members/member_bio.html?mem_id=1247 |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=www.senate.mn |language=en}}

Fateh's higher education bill included tuition-free public colleges and universities and tribal colleges for students from families whose income is less than $80,000 a year.{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=Ryan Faircloth Star |title=Higher ed deal includes free college for Minnesota families who make under $80K |url=https://www.startribune.com/higher-ed-spending-deal-includes-free-college-for-minnesota-families-who-make-under-80k/600273361/ |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=Star Tribune}} It also included an increase to Hunger Free Campus grants,{{Cite web |title=Hunger Free Campus {{!}} LeadMN |url=https://www.leadmn.org/hungerfreecampus|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240719141010/https://www.leadmn.org/hungerfreecampus |access-date=2023-06-04 | archive-date=2024-07-19 | url-status=dead |website=www.leadmn.org |language=en}} emergency assistance grants.{{Cite web |title=Home – MN Licensing and Registration |url=https://mnsas.ohe.state.mn.us/?ID=8a5586bf-d25e-ed11-9561-00224805c33a |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=mnsas.ohe.state.mn.us}}

Fateh was the chief Senate author of a bill to provide minimum wages and worker protections for drivers for rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft. The Minnesota Uber and Lyft Drivers Association (MULDA) supported the bill. It had bipartisan support and passed the House and Senate, but was vetoed by Governor Walz. The veto sparked outrage from MULDA drivers, union groups, and progressive activists nationwide.{{Cite news |last=Browning |first=Kellen |date=2023-05-21 |title=Minnesota Passes Bill Seeking to Ensure Minimum Wage for Gig Workers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/21/technology/minnesota-uber-lyft-gig-work.html |access-date=2023-06-04 |issn=0362-4331}}

Since Fateh took office, local media have reported his ties to two controversies. The first occurred when it was revealed that Feeding Our Future and its subsidiaries were stealing money from federal nutrition programs. When the scandal broke, Fateh condemned the fraudulent activities and returned $11,000 in contributions from cultural restaurant owners and employees connected to Feeding Our Future programs.{{cite web | url=https://sahanjournal.com/democracy-politics/omar-fateh-feeding-our-future-campaign-contributions/ | title=Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh returns campaign funds from those tied to food aid probe | date=February 2022 }}

The second incident stemmed from a State Senate Ethics investigation. Fateh failed to disclose $1,000 his campaign paid to Somali TV Minnesota, which he corrected once he was made aware of the mistake. A second complaint was related to the perjury conviction of Muse Mohamed, Fateh's brother-in-law and a volunteer on his 2020 campaign. A federal jury convicted Muse in May of lying to a federal grand jury about his handling of three absentee ballots for Fateh's campaign.{{cite web | url=https://sahanjournal.com/democracy-politics/senator-omar-fateh-ethics-investigation-dfl-republican-minnesota-legislature/ | title=Senator Omar Fateh ordered to undergo campaign finance training | date=13 September 2022 }} The Republican-led ethics committee unanimously dismissed all the allegations against Fateh except for the undisclosed advertising expense, which was deemed outside the ethics committee's scope and referred to the campaign finance board.{{Cite web |date= July 28, 2022 |title=Senators throw out most Fateh ethics complaints |url=https://www.kare11.com/article/news/politics/omar-fateh-ethics-complaints-minnesota-senate-ethics-subcommittee/89-5ba58355-2d66-45a7-906b-0a7ef999fb75 |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=kare11.com |language=en-US}}

On November 20, 2024, Fateh declared his candidacy for mayor of Minneapolis in the 2025 election.{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Melody |date=November 20, 2024 |title=Omar Fateh joins DeWayne Davis as Minneapolis mayoral candidate |url=https://www.southwestvoices.news/posts/omar-fateh-joins-dewayne-davis-as-mayoral-candidate |website=Southwest Voices}} His announcement touted his legislative history and expressed a desire to collaborate with progressive members of the city council.{{cite news |last1=Yücel |first1=Kerem |title=Sen. Omar Fateh announces candidacy for Minneapolis mayor, says Frey is ‘failing’ residents |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/12/02/sen-omar-fateh-announces-candidacy-for-minneapolis-mayor-says-frey-is-failing-residents |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=MPR News |date=December 2, 2024}}

Fateh was born to immigrant parents from Somalia.{{cite web |title=Meet Omar |url=https://www.fatehformayor.com/meet-omar |website=Omar Fateh for Minneapolis Mayor |access-date=5 December 2024}} He lives in Minneapolis's Phillips neighborhood.{{cite web|url=https://omarfateh.org/about.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925091818/https://omarfateh.org/about.html |archive-date=September 25, 2023|title=Join the Movement|website=Omar Fateh for MN Senate 62}} His sister-in-law is Minnesota State Senator Zaynab Mohamed.{{cite news |last1=Montemayor |first1=Stephen |title=State Sen. Omar Fateh's brother-in-law convicted of perjury related to 2020 primary |url=https://www.startribune.com/state-sen-omar-fatehs-brother-in-law-convicted-of-perjury-related-to-2020-primary/600172474 |access-date=5 March 2025 |work=Star Tribune |date=11 May 2022 |language=en}}

{{Election box begin no change

|title = 2018 Minnesota House District 62A DFL primary

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

| candidate = Hodan Hassan

| votes = 2,207

| percentage = 28.41%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

| candidate = Osman Ahmed

| votes = 1,607

| percentage = 20.68%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

| candidate = Omar Fateh

| votes = 1,602

| percentage = 20.62%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

| candidate = Margarita Ortega

| votes = 1,531

| percentage = 19.71%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

| candidate = Jen Kader

| votes = 822

| percentage = 10.58%

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 7,769

| percentage = 100.0%

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change

|title = 2020 Minnesota Senate District 62 DFL primary{{Cite web |title=Results for All State Senate Races, 2020 State Primary|url=https://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/Results/Index?ersElectionId=135&scenario=StateSenate |access-date=January 21, 2025 |publisher=Minnesota Secretary of State}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

| candidate = Omar Fateh

| votes = 11,109

| percentage = 54.86%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

| candidate = Jeff Hayden

| votes = 9,140

| percentage = 45.14%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes=20,249

|percentage=100.0%

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change

|title = 2020 Minnesota Senate District 62 election{{Cite web |title=2020 Results for Senate District 62|url=https://electionresults.sos.mn.gov/results/Index?ErsElectionId=136&scenario=StateSenate&DistrictId=550&show=Go |access-date=January 21, 2025 |publisher=Minnesota Secretary of State}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

| candidate = Omar Fateh

| votes = 33,103

| percentage = 88.99%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| candidate = Bruce Lundeen

| votes = 3,947

| percentage = 10.61%

}}

{{Election box write-in with party link no change

| votes =150

| percentage = 0.40%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes=37,200

|percentage=100.0%

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change

|title = 2022 Minnesota Senate District 62 election{{Cite web |title=2022 Results for Senate District 62|url=https://electionresults.sos.mn.gov/results/Index?ErsElectionId=149&scenario=StateSenate&DistrictId=550&show=Go |access-date=January 21, 2025 |publisher=Minnesota Secretary of State}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

| candidate = Omar Fateh

| votes = 24,271

| percentage = 90.28%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| candidate = Andrew Schmitz

| votes = 2,528

| percentage = 9.40%

}}

{{Election box write-in with party link no change

| votes =84

| percentage = 0.31%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes=26,883

|percentage=100.0%

}}

{{Election box end}}

• List of Democratic Socialists of America who have held office in the United States

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.fatehformayor.com/ Omar Fateh Mayoral Campaign Site]

{{Minnesota State Senators}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fateh, Omar}}

Category:1990 births

Category:21st-century African-American politicians

Category:21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature

Category:African-American Muslims

Category:American politicians of Somali descent

Category:Democratic Party Minnesota state senators

Category:Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from Minnesota

Category:Minnesota socialists

Category:Muslims from Minnesota

Category:Muslims from Washington, D.C.

Category:Living people

Category:Politicians from Minneapolis

Category:Politicians from Washington, D.C.