Saturday May 20, 2023
The Minneapolis City skyline, including City Hall, as seen from the back of the U.S. District Court.
All 13 Minneapolis City Council seats will be on the ballot in November's city elections.
The formal candidate filing period doesn't actually start until Aug. 1, but many candidates have begun — and ended — their campaigns.
Much of the effort so far has surrounded seeking the endorsement of the city's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party — an important seal of approval in an overwhelmingly Democratic city.
Legally, endorsements mean nothing. The city's ranked-choice voting elections are technically nonpartisan, and candidates need not seek or abide by any party endorsements to appear on the ballot.
This list will be updated as news happens. Here's where things stood as of May 19:
Ward 1
In Ward 1, incumbent Council Member Elliot Payne has secured the DFL endorsement.
Ward 2
The Ward 2 convention was held in April with no endorsement made.
That's the outcome sought by incumbent Council Member Robin Wonsley, who is running as an independent.
Ward 3
In Ward 3, incumbent Council Member Michael Rainville secured the endorsement in April over challenger Conrad Zbikowski, who said he would abide by the endorsement and end his campaign. Candidate Marcus Mills has said he'll continue his campaign.
Ward 4
In Ward 4, incumbent Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw secured the endorsement.
Ward 5
The Ward 5 convention was canceled in early May amid accusations of impropriety.
As such, there will be no DFL endorsement in this race.
Incumbent Council Member Jeremiah Ellison is being challenged by Victor Martinez. A number of Martinez' delegates were thrown out by the party when he failed to produce paperwork to support his online-registered delegates. Martinez denied doing anything wrong. Both candidates requested the convention be canceled.
Ward 6
The Ward 6 virtual convention Saturday promised to be filled with drama — and it was.
The convention was recessed for lack of a Somali interpreter, party officials said, with an intent to reconvene June 3.
Incumbent City Council Member Jamal Osman faced several challengers, and allegations of shenanigans swirled around one of them.
Candidate Kayseh Magan has accused candidate Tiger Worku of essentially falsely signing up delegates, including statements by some of Worku's claimed delegates that they're Republicans and never signed up for anything DFL-related. Worku has denied the allegation. The matter was expected to be litigated during the convention.
Candidate Abdirizak Bihi dropped out of the race earlier this month.
Ward 7
The Ward 7 convention, scheduled to be held virtually Sunday, is among two races for a vacant seat on the City Council. Lisa Goodman, who has served 25 years on the council, isn't seeking re-election.
Candidates seeking the DFL endorsement have included Katie Cashman, Scott Graham and Kenneth Foxworth.
Ward 8
The Ward 8 convention, scheduled held virtually Saturday was being closely watched across the city, as City Council President Andrea Jenkins faces a stiff challenge from Soren Stevenson, who gained prominence after losing an eye to police-fired projectiles while protesting the murder of George Floyd.
Jenkins is generally aligned with the relatively moderate narrow majority on the City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey, while Stevenson, who has been endorsed by the Twin Cities chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, is further left.
As of early Saturday afternoon, the convention had not reached a decision on an endorsement.
Ward 9
In Ward 9, incumbent Council Member Jason Chavez secured the DFL endorsement in April.
Ward 10
Ward 10's May 13 convention infamously descended into chaos when supporters of challenger Nasri Warsame stormed the stage as incumbent Aisha Chughtai was preparing to speak.
Technically, the convention remains in recess. No decision has been made on the next step, but many DFL leaders have said they hope it will reconvene in some fashion.
Ward 11
In Ward 11, incumbent City Council Member Emily Koski was seeking the DFL endorsement in a convention scheduled to be held virtually Sunday.
Ward 12
In Ward 12, Aurin Chowdhury secured the DFL endorsement in April over several candidates vying to the open seat currently held by Council Member Andrew Johnson, who is not seeking re-election.
At least two of Chowdhury's opponents, Luther Ranheim and Nancy Ford, have said they're still running in the election.
Ward 13
In Ward 13 in April, incumbent Linea Palmisano secured the DFL endorsement over challenger Kate Mortenson, who said she's staying in the race.