Minneapolis mayoral candidates debate one week from election
Four of the Minneapolis mayoral candidates went head-to-head in a debate hosted by WCCO's Frank Vascellaro on Tuesday night.
This was the final debate for the candidates ahead of the election on Nov. 4.
The debate was livestreamed and included the top four candidates for Minneapolis mayor:
- Incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey
- State Sen. Omar Fateh
- Rev. DeWayne Davis
- Jazz Hampton
Gun control
One of the hot topic issues of the evening was gun control.
After the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church this summer, both Frey and Fateh called for better gun control, with Fateh calling on Gov. Tim Walz to convene a special legislative session on the issue.
During the debate Tuesday night, all four candidates reiterated the need for better gun control measures.
"This is an issue that we can all agree upon," said Fateh.
The candidates were asked about a gun control ordinance for Minneapolis. A current Minnesota statute states that a city cannot make its own law regarding gun control. All four candidates expressed the desire to get an ordinance for the city, if preemption is no longer a hurdle.
"Preemption law means that cities cannot change city ordinance. But once that 'big law' is gone, you can put it [city ordinance] into the books to snap it into place immediately," said Hampton. "So we have to put those ordinances on the books today and once they're there, we can turn to our partners in the legislature and say, 'It's already on the books.' We won't even argue with what we need to do. All you need to do is remove preemption."
"Here's the thing, we can pass laws, even with state preemption, we can put on the books banning assault weapons, registering guns and banning assault weapons, registering guns and banning high-capacity clips," said Davis.
"We need to ban fully automatic weapons at the state and federal level. And ban high-capacity magazines at the state and federal level. And if the state and the feds are unwilling or unable, then give us the ability to do it in cities," said Frey.
"Coming up with solutions at the city level so that things can click once we pass our ordinances, we can get it right at the state, we can make it happen," said Fateh.
Immigration
Vascellaro then asked about an East Lake Street raid on June 3 when federal agents appeared in armored vehicles and protesters quickly took to the street, forcing them out of the area. A Minneapolis ordinance prohibits city employees from enforcing federal immigration laws.
Fateh said that "we have to use every tool at our disposal to protect our most vulnerable communities," and said Minneapolis police should be able to arrest a federal agent who obscures their face or badge, or refuses to identify their agency.
Federal agents covering their faces "should be illegal," he said, and local law enforcement has the ability to enforce local law.
"Right now more than ever we have to stand up for our communities," Fateh said. "The mayor is unwilling and unable to do so because the same members that are bankrolling Donald Trump's campaign have been bankrolling his campaign as well. Last year, in 2024, nearly a third of his donations came from MAGA donors, including one person who actually donated half a million to Trump's PAC."
Frey fired back, saying that Minneapolis does not cooperate with federal immigration agencies.
"Just last Friday, Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security was here and criticized me explicitly by name for not collaborating with the federal agencies around immigration law enforcement," Frey said.
He disagreed with Fateh's strategy of arresting federal agents in masks, saying that it would "endanger the very people that we are trying to help."
"What the mayor doesn't seem to understand is, we have a federal government that's acting unconstitutionally, what are you doing to really assure people that you're going to do everything in your power?" Davis said.
Federal immigration raids are an "all hands on deck" situation requiring a "real aggressive and strategic response" similar to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's approach, Davis said.
Homelessness
All four candidates emphasized a need for a better response team and resources to help those experiencing homelessness in Minneapolis.
"We should have a homeless response team and an outreach [team. So that] a homeless encampment won't form in the first place," said Davis during the debate. "What are we doing to make sure that when one person sets up in a space that we have the outreach, that we have the intention, that we are moving them away before an encampment takes place."
"Nobody wants encampments, it's not fair. But unlike [the] mayor, I want to clear encampments by housing people," said Fateh. "Bulldozing them block by block is not a solution. Bulldozing our neighbors does not house them and it only allows for another encampment to prop up."
The recent legal battle between Hamoudi Sabri and the city over homeless encampments on Sabri's property was brought up during the debate Tuesday.
"The encampment that you [Vascellaro] mentioned, the Sabri encampment, that individual is now bankrolling Sen. Omar Fateh's PAC," said Frey.
"It's unfortunate that we had a situation in which a private citizen, Sabri as mentioned, addressed the situation. It shouldn't be that way," said Fateh.
Over the summer, Sabri turned his property into an encampment for people experiencing homelessness — this led to a monthslong legal battle with the city claiming the site was a "public nuisance." A judge granted Minneapolis' temporary restraining order against Sabri, barring him from allowing homeless encampments on any of his properties until further order from the court.
In mid-September, a shootout at the encampment killed a woman and injured six others.
Taxes
In the past 20 years, Minneapolis has seen a total city tax increase of 204%, and from 2019 to 2024, Minneapolis property taxes went up by 28%. Vascellaro asked the candidates if they believe Minneapolis residents are taxed appropriately and how they would allocate funds in the city's $2 billion budget.
Davis said that the mayor's office needs to fund a solution to encampments while also maintaining core city services.
"My favorite part about talking to residents in Minneapolis is they are not first to say 'our taxes are too high' or 'they're going up too much.' They're saying 'if they're going to go up this much please make sure our services go up that much with them.'" Hampton said.
He added that public safety and affordable housing are his priorities, as well as bolstering the public school system to better support before-and-after school care. Hampton wants to pull more tax dollars from small business while making sure they have the resources to be successful. Seventy percent of the city's tax dollars come from non-residents, and he said that "we need to dig in there."
Fateh criticized the tens of millions of dollars that have gone to police misconduct settlements.
"That's tens of millions of dollars that can go toward our youth, our seniors. Making our city more affordable, small business grants. If we just do the right thing and hold our police force accountable, and have a public safety system that works for all of us, we don't have to waste that much money," he said.
Fateh also brought up the idea of a local wealth tax to bring in extra revenue, which he added is a bipartisan idea, as he got a Republican state senator to sign on to the legislation.
Frey, who has overseen the last few city budgets, vetoed the most recent one in late 2024. He did so because the city council's budget didn't prioritize core city services, he said. Minneapolis also needs to work with the state to get more aid while focusing on public safety, affordable housing and services from filling potholes to plowing streets, he said.
Downtown
Downtown has been struggling since the COVID-19 pandemic, and will likely see less foot traffic after Target laid off hundreds of workers from its Nicollet Avenue location on Tuesday.
In October 2024, Frey announced his Downtown Action Plan in an effort to draw more people back to the area.
During the debate, the candidates shared how they would draw people back to the area.
Hampton used his personal experience when discussing the topic, citing the area no longer was "walkable" and the need to draw more people to live in and near downtown. He also stated the need to work with small and large businesses to ensure they "are not leaving and feel safe and secure in the city."
"The downtown is still full opportunity and potential," said Fateh. "I want to ensure that we're filling our storefronts with local small businesses. Ensuring that we are removing barriers for folks to start a business, that's why I want to have a strong office of small business support, that can provide start-up grants for businesses."
Who are the candidates for Minneapolis mayor?
Incumbent Minneapolis mayor Frey is running for his third term at the helm of the state's largest city. He first served as a city council representative for Ward 3 before he was elected mayor in 2017. In 2021, he won reelection with 56% of the vote.
Fateh was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2020. His district encompasses parts of south Minneapolis, including Ventura Village, Powderhorn, as well as sections of Lyndale and Kingfield. His highest-profile legislation was a law setting a minimum wage and other protections for rideshare drivers.
Davis spent over 20 years in Washington D.C. working for three members of Congress and progressive think tanks. He then turned towards ministry, leading the Plymouth Congregational Church.
Jazz Hampton grew up in Minneapolis, and is a former attorney and is an adjunct professor of law in entrepreneureal studies at St. Thomas University. He is the CEO for TurnSignl, an app that connects drivers with local lawyers when they get pulled over.
There are 11 other candidates running for mayor of Minneapolis.
DFL endorsement pulled
Earlier this summer, Fateh won the city DFL's endorsement in an upset. However, it was pulled following a complaint by Frey, with whom the state DFL eventually sided.
The complaint from Frey's campaign alleged that the state DFL's investigation found nearly 200 votes missing and called the process "flawed." They claimed an "extraordinarily high number of missing or uncounted votes produced by the highly flawed and untested electronic voting system." The campaign also alleged there's "no plausible reason" why over 20% of the total delegates and alternates would skip voting.
Walz endorsed Frey for a third term. In a statement earlier this summer, Walz said Frey "is a partner I can trust to actually deliver progressive policies that improve people's lives."
WCCO's election coverage
Tune in for special live coverage of all races and results on election night on Nov. 4. Polls in Minnesota close at 8 p.m.
WCCO News will provide live results online from every race in the state, including dozens of school referendums as voters decide if taxes should be raised to pay for improvements and education programs.
Results will also appear as soon as they come in on CBS News Minnesota, and key races will be shown at the bottom of the screen on WCCO-TV later in the evening.
For more information on finding your local polling place, check the Minnesota Secretary of State's website.
If you or someone you know needs help finding affordable housing-related options, get help from the HousingLink. Additional programs can be found at Housing Benefits 101.