ST. PAUL ELECTS FIRST EVER AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAYOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017
LATE WEEK
MELVIN CARTER III DEFEATED PAT HARRIS FOR THE SEAT
MNDAILY.COM
MAYOR
Frey leads in mayor’s race The candidate has an early lead, but a winner has yet to be decided in Minneapolis.
15% NEKIMA LEVYPOUNDS
BY MN DAILY STAFF
25% JACOB FREY
In a crowded field of mayoral hopefuls, Jacob Frey led Minneapolis’ election late Tuesday night. Tuesday’s election was the city’s highest municipal
MINNEAPOLIS
election voter turnout in two decades, and Frey, the Ward
MAYOR
3 City Council Member, sported 26 percent of the vote out of 16 candidates. Tom Hoch and incumbent Mayor Betsy
FIRST-CHOICE VOTES
Hodges received 19 and 18 percent of first-choice votes, respectively. State Rep. Raymond Dehn sat in fourth place, receiving less than 18 percent of first-choice votes.
19% TOM HOCH
COURTNEY DEUTZ, DAILY
Tuesday’s election was the third ranked-choice municipal election Minneapolis has held. “We feel good. The numbers aren’t all in yet, we’re cautiously optimistic at this point. But clearly, we still have
18% BETSY HODGES
some counting to do,” Frey said in an interview Tuesday
17% RAYMOND DEHN
night. Frey maintained an ample lead throughout the night as
SOURCE: CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS
results trickled in. Standing atop a Jefe Urban Hacienda bar top, Frey
TOP: Jacob Frey addresses the crowd during his Election Day party at Jefe: Urban Hacienda on Nov. 7. LEFT: Tom Hoch speaks with a supporter during his Election Day party at his campaign office on Nov. 7. RIGHT: Betsy Hodges speaks giving thanks to her parents at her Election Day party at Gandhi Mahal restaurant on Nov. 7.
spoke to supporters. To the crowd of more than 100 lively supporters, he said, “Things are looking pretty damn good right now.” At Hodges’ election party at the Gandhi Mahal restaurant, she gave a speech to around 50 supporters. She admitted prospects looked grim, but noted the election could still swing in her favor and focused on her past u See MAYOR Page 4 MADDY FOX, DAILY
WARD 3
MADDY FOX, DAILY
WARD 6
Warsame clinches seat for Sixth Ward The incumbent overpowered community activist Mohamud Noor in the West Bank race. BY ARIANNA VALENZUELA-ZAZUETA avalenzuela@mndaily.com
JACK RODGERS, DAILY
Ginger Jentzen speaks with supporters during her Election Day party at the Ukrainian Event Center on Nov. 7.
Race for Ward 3 still undecided Ginger Jentzen leads with firstchoice votes, but a winner has yet to be decided.
34% GINGER JENTZEN
11% SAMANTHA PREE-STINSON
BY MN DAILY STAFF
No clear winner emerged in the competitive Minneapolis Ward 3 city council race Tuesday night. Four candidates ran a close race in the ward, which covers the Marcy-Holmes and Dinkytown neighborhoods. The council seat for the nearly 30,000-person district was left open by Council Member Jacob Frey’s mayoral bid. Voters can expect an announcement with the winner Wednesday at the earliest, following rank-choice tabulation. About 34 percent of first-choice votes went to Socialist Alternative candidate Ginger Jentzen — the most of the four candidates. DFL-endorsed u See WARD 3 Page 4
CITY COUNCIL
WARD 3 FIRST-CHOICE VOTES
28% STEVE FLETCHER
27% TIM BILDSOE
SOURCE: CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS
Incumbent Ward 6 City Council Member Abdi Warsame took over 50 percent of the first-choice votes on Tuesday night, narrowly beating opponent Mohamud Noor, who took 47 percent. The Ward 6 race saw record early voter turnout, with 4,015 ballots cast in the early voting period in a race between two advocates for the Somali community. “[Warsame] will benefit the future… he’s done a lot,” said Yasmin Abdullahi at Warsame’s election party on Tuesday. “He’s a very hard worker and I support him.” Abdullahi Warsame called the incumbent a “hero” at Tuesday’s election party. “The other guy who’s running, he has lost six times,” he said. “He’s someone that we don’t trust for our future. He doesn’t know. He’s like a copycat.” Ramlo Mohamed said he hopes Warsame develops a mall in the Somali community, an idea he’s been working toward recently. “Abdi Warsame did a lot of great things for us,” Mohamed said at the Ward 6 council member’s election party. “He’s there for us whenever we need him.” The heavily populated ward encompasses parts of Cedar-Riverside and the neighborhoods of Phillips West, Ventura Village, Elliot Park, Seward and Loring Heights. Warsame was elected in 2013 as the first Somali-American to serve in a municipal office. The incumbent’s goals for a second term include improving environmental regulations and strengthening relations between communities and police. As of Oct. 26, Warsame raised $39,906.60 u See WARD 6 Page 4
ANANYA MISHRA, DAILY
Abdi Warsame speaks to his supporters during his Election Day party at Harwanaag Restaurant and Cafe on Nov. 7. 3% FADUMO YUSUF
CITY COUNCIL
WARD 6 FIRST-CHOICE VOTES
47% MOHAMUD NOOR
50% ABDI WARSAME
SOURCE: CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS
ELECTION
Voter turnout for Minneapolis municipal election highest in decades Turnout for the 2017 Minneapolis election Tuesday topped previous municpal elections. BY RILYN EISCHENS reischens@mndaily.com
High voter turnout for the Minneapolis municipal elections Tuesday caused ballot shortages and voting slowdowns at some
polling locations. Turnout reached about 43 percent, the highest rate in two decades, according to the city of Minneapolis. Election workers at some polling places resorted to photocopying blank ballots when they ran out of official documents near poll close. About 106,000 ballots were cast during the race, and about 90 percent of those in-person Tuesday, according to the Minneapolis Elections and Voter
Services Division. The Minneapolis Early Voting Center received a record 11,804 ballots in advance of Election Day this year, according to the city of Minneapolis. Between Wards 2, 3 and 6, where many University students live, nearly 5,800 ballots were accepted by the Early Voting Center. This marks a 10 percent overall increase from 2013, when about 80,000
residents voted, according to city of Minneapolis voter data. At 8 p.m. — poll close — five precincts encountered ballot shortages as a result of high turnout and large numbers of spoiled ballots, according to the Minneapolis Elections and Voter Services Division. Election workers photocopied ballots so those in line could still vote Tuesday. u See TURNOUT Page 8
VOLUME 118 ISSUE 20