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Nasri Warsame will still run for Ward 10 election despite DFL ban
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    Monday June 5, 2023

    Days after he was officially banned from ever earning the Minnesota DFL's endorsement, Minneapolis City Council candidate Nasri Warsame says he is continuing his campaign.

    Warsame said he will run for the Ward 10 council seat without an endorsement. He also called for party chairman Ken Martin to apologize to the Somali community, claiming the DFL's alleged use of "tactics to divide" the community.

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    The city council candidate was banned from earning the DFL endorsement following a fight that broke out at the Ward 10 convention on May 13, with Warsame's supporters blamed as the aggressors.

    "I firmly believe in accountability and taking responsibility for one’s actions. I have publicly condemned the violence that transpired, and I will continue to advocate for peaceful and respectful engagement within our political process," Warsame said in a statement on Friday.

    "However, I can’t stand silent when faced with a process that is biased, unfair and undemocratic."

    While condemning the violence, Warsame rejected the DFL's investigation.

    The ban was initially announced on May 19 and officially passed on a committee vote Tuesday night. Newly approved bylaws state a person can be disqualified from seeking receiving a DFL endorsement or letter of support if candidates or campaign supporters "have engaged in, incited or consciously condoned physical assault, threats of violence, or violent acts while actively campaigning or participating in any function of the DFL Party."

    The May 13 convention turned into a chaotic brawl, with video from the event showing a number of Warsame's supporters rushing the stage as incumbent Aisha Chughtai and her supporters prepared to speak.

    But Warsame claimed in a press conference this week that the DFL acted after "making sweeping accusations," placing responsibility for the scenes "squarely on my shoulders, and those of my supporters without conducting a thorough investigation or taking into account the perspective of key stakeholders."

    In the wake of the Ward 10 convention, DFL chair Ken Martin issued a statement that said, in part: "We expect candidates and campaigns to be leaders, to help prepare their delegates and supporters for conventions, and if tensions start to rise, we expect candidates and their campaigns to work to defuse those tensions. Instead, the Warsame campaign poured fuel on them until some of their supporters lashed out."

     





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