SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
omar fateh
Democratic Voters Are Sick of Funding Israel. Will the Leaders Listen?
It’s necessary for us to continue making the case for the Democratic Party to abandon the unelected donor class and become a party of the working class that promotes peace and justice at home and abroad.
Aug 29, 2025
After the shock upset of the 2024 election, Democrats asked themselves how they could have possibly lost what should have been a landslide victory over Trump. There were long discussions on bringing back young voters, reconnecting with the working class, and reassessing the party’s relationship with groups like American Israel Public Affairs Committee that don’t align with the voting base.
It seems, however, the party establishment has not decided to change its strategy in any way, continuing on a course that will allow the Republicans to run rampant in dismantling what little of democracy and social safety nets this country had.
The trouble is that the leadership of the Democratic Party is captured by a donor class whose values do not align with the voters. As a result, when the voters are divided 90-10 on an issue, the leadership often will side with the 10.
A new Quinnipiac survey found that an overwhelming majority of 77% of Democrats have come to the conclusion that Israel is committing the crime of genocide, but yet still only a small fraction of elected Democrats have openly acknowledged that reality.
There are Democrats who are taking the side of the voters by opposing Israel’s genocide while taking an aggressive approach to US President Donald Trump, but instead of being embraced by party leadership, they are being shut out.
When House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), the No. 2 Democrat in the House, was attending an event at a Quaker Meeting House in her district, she was confronted by myself and other constituents on her complicity in Israel’s genocide. In this conversation, she acknowledged that the politics of Israel and Palestine have changed and used the term genocide in the context of Gaza. But then a few days later, likely under pressure from AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups, she issued a statement saying “I want to be clear that I am not accusing Israel of genocide.”
Despite coming from one of the country’s most progressive districts, she has an abysmally conservative record on Palestine. Clark has taken over $700,000 from pro-Israel groups like AIPAC, Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), and J-Street, making the Israel lobby her largest source of campaign money. Even though she has joined other Democrats in expressing how “horrified” they are about the starvation in Gaza, she still will not commit to taking a stance against arming the nation responsible for the famine.
Clark’s cowardice in the face of pressure from big donors at the expense of constituents is emblematic of Democratic leaders. Figures like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who allowed the Republicans to move forward with their austerity budget, do not have the courage or the will to lead the Democratic Party in the fight against fascism.
This cowardice became apparent again recently in the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) reaction when a young member of the committee introduced a resolution before party leadership to call for an end of military aid to Israel. Groups like AIPAC and DMFI quickly mobilized in opposition to the bill and were successful shutting it down with support from DNC chair Ken Martin. This being despite a recent poll finding that 75% of Democrats oppose sending military aid to Israel and another that only 8% approve of Israel’s action in Gaza.
There are Democrats who are taking the side of the voters by opposing Israel’s genocide while taking an aggressive approach to US President Donald Trump, but instead of being embraced by party leadership, they are being shut out.
Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral primary with a strong focus on issues of affordability, promising to freeze the rent, make buses fast and free, and implement universal childcare. These policies, along with Mamdani’s belief in Palestinian human rights, propelled him to victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in spite of opposition from corporations like DoorDash, the real estate lobby, and pro-Israel groups. Even though Mamdani has won theratic primary, securing the party’s nomination, many New York Democrats were slow to or yet to endorse him.
We are now seeing a similar scenario play out in Minneapolis where democratic socialist Omar Fateh mayoral candidate had his endorsement from Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer Labor Party undemocratically revoked as a result of the work of a few party insiders.
Despite the efforts to silence them from the establishment, Mamdani holds a comfortable lead in the general election and Fateh is still a viable challenger to incumbent centrist Democrat Jacob Frey.
Mamdani and Fateh are now joined by a roster of leftist challengers running for Congress in 2026 against both corrupt Democrats and Republicans. Candidates like Maine’s Graham Platner and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed have both taken a principled stance against Israel’s genocide and promoted other popular policies like Medicare for all where again the party establishment has chosen the donors over the voters.
As 2026 approaches and pundits are already discussing who should run for president in 2028, it’s necessary for us to continue making the case for the Democratic Party to abandon the unelected donor class and become a party of the working class that promotes peace and justice at home and abroad. If not, the party will repeat the same mistakes it made in 2024, clearing the way for an uninterrupted fascist takeover.
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Stain on Our Party': Ilhan Omar Condemns Minnesota Dems for Tossing Fateh's Mayor Endorsement
The Minnesota congresswoman said the decision demonstrated "the influence of big money in our politics."
Aug 22, 2025
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) issued a fearsome rebuke to her state's Democratic Party Thursday, calling its decision to rescind its endorsement of democratic socialist state Rep. Omar Fateh for mayor of Minneapolis "inexcusable."
In what supporters called "a rejection of politics as usual," Fateh was elected last month by delegates at the Minneapolis convention for the Democrats, known in Minnesota as the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, to receive the party's endorsement for mayor over the well-funded two-term incumbent Jacob Frey.
The convention was marred by chaos after a malfunction in the electronic voting system. The final tally of the 577 counted votes had Fateh with 43.8% of the vote and Frey with 31.5%. On the second ballot, which was conducted through a show of hands due to the system failure, Fateh was elected overwhelmingly after Frey told his delegates to leave the convention.
A party investigation initiated after a complaint from Frey found that the malfunction resulted in 176 ballots in the first round of voting being uncounted, which denied the entry of a third candidate, DeWayne Davis, onto the second ballot.
However, these irregularities did not affect the second vote, which is what resulted in Fateh receiving the endorsement.
Nevertheless, DFL announced Thursday that it had "vacated" Fateh's nomination, citing what it said were "substantial failures in the convention's voting process."
As a result, access to party voter rolls, which usually only go to the candidate endorsed by the DFL, will now be given to everyone, which could considerably hurt Fateh's chances of unseating Frey.
Joined by over a dozen other DFL state and local officials, Ilhan Omar issued a statement condemning the party's decision.
"Last month, thousands of caucus-goers and delegates across Minneapolis gathered to participate in the Minneapolis DFL Convention," Omar said. "Now, a month later, a small group of DFL board members, a majority living outside Minneapolis, met privately to overturn the will of Minneapolis delegates who volunteered, organized, and participated in a monthslong DFL process."
"It is inexcusable to overturn the results weeks after the convention because board members did not like the outcome," Omar continued. "Not only does this decision set an extremely dangerous precedent, but it will undermine the DFL endorsing process going forward and fail to center the will of delegates."
"Fateh is getting screwed," said Zach Lindstrom, the mayor of the St. Paul suburb of Mounds View, who served as the sergeant-at-arms during the convention.
"It was clear, crystal clear, Fateh had the vast majority of support in the room; his supporters filled two entire sections. Frey's didn't even fill one," he continued. "I saw with my own eyes someone who clearly had the room, and for him to get rugged is just another reason the party approval is at an all-time low and hemorrhaging support."
Fateh, who won his state Senate seat in 2020, has found success with a campaign that followed in the footsteps of insurgent New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
His message has likewise focused on affordability, including pushing for the city to introduce rent controls and investments in affordable housing paid for by increased taxes on wealthy residents. He has also called for the city to raise its minimum wage to $20 an hour.
Fateh has also said that the city's overwhelmed police department should divert many calls to "non-police responders" better trained to handle issues related to mental health, homelessness, and drug use.
Fateh ran as a harsh critic of the Democratic establishment that he says is personified by Frey.
In past elections, Frey has received substantial support from the real estate and restaurant industries. While information about his fundraising in 2025 is incomplete, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported earlier this month that, despite having fewer individual donors, Frey had amassed a war chest of over $539,000, eight times the size of Fateh's.
One group that fiercely contested Fateh's nomination was the We Love Minneapolis PAC, which has been accused of illegally coordinating expenditures with the Frey campaign in violation of campaign finance laws. Fateh has accused the PAC and others supporting Frey of being organs of "wealthy donors."
After the DFL stripped his endorsement, Fateh said in a video that "28 party insiders voted to take away our endorsement behind closed doors," and asserted that the insiders included "non-Minneapolis residents, Mayor Frey supporters, and even donors."
"This is exactly what Minneapolis voters are sick of," Fateh continued. "The insider games, the backroom decisions, and feeling like our voice doesn't matter in our own city."
Ilhan Omar says the DFL's decision demonstrated the "clear tension between the progressive Democrats who are challenging the status quo and moderate Democrats."
"Throughout this mayoral campaign, we have seen the influence of big money in our politics," she continued. "We know organized people beat organized money. Fateh's campaign organized and won the endorsement. This decision will be a stain on our party for years to come and damage our ability to organize for Democratic wins this year, next year, and beyond."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Minneapolis Dems Endorse Democratic Socialist Fateh for Mayor Over Incumbent Frey
"Today we witnessed a rejection of politics as usual, a rejection of the inhumane way we have been treating our unhoused neighbors, a rejection of the way our mayor has turned his back on labor," said Omar Fateh.
Jul 21, 2025
Omar Fateh—a democratic socialist Minnesota state senator and son of Somali immigrants running for mayor of Minneapolis—on Saturday won the endorsement of the city's Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, an affiliate of the national Democratic Party, which chose him over two-term incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey.
The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Fateh (DFL-62) won at least 60% of the Minneapolis DFL delegate vote in what is the party's first-ever mayoral endorsement.
"Today we witnessed a rejection of politics as usual, a rejection of the inhumane way we have been treating our unhoused neighbors, a rejection of the way our mayor has turned his back on labor," Fateh said following the vote. "Yes, we secured the DFL endorsement, but we know the status quo are going to do anything and everything to maintain power. They'll have all the money in the world, they'll have all the influence in the world—but they don't have you."
I am incredibly honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Mayor. This endorsement is a message that Minneapolis residents are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual. It’s a mandate to build a city that works for all of us. fatehformayor.com/donate
[image or embed]
— Omar Fateh (@omarfatehmn.com) July 19, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Frey campaign manager Sam Schulenberg said in a statement that "this election should be decided by the entire city rather than the small group of people who became delegates, particularly in light of the extremely flawed and irregular conduct of this convention."
According to the Star Tribune, "confusion and distrust over electronic balloting snarled" much of the endorsement process, but there was no indication that this favored any candidate.
"Voters will now have a clear choice between the records and the leadership of Sen. Fateh and Mayor Frey," Schulenberg added. "We look forward to taking our vision to the voters in November."
Among the dozens of bills authored by Fateh are a successful proposal to fund tuition-free public colleges and universities and tribal colleges for students from families with household incomes below $80,000, including undocumented immigrants, and another measure that exempted fentanyl test strips from being considered drug paraphernalia.
Fateh was also the chief state Senate author of a bill that would have ensured that drivers on ride-hailing applications like Uber and Lyft were paid minimum wage and received workplace protections. Although the bill was approved by both houses of the state Legislature, it was vetoed by DFL Gov. Tim Walz, sparking widespread outrage among progressives.
Numerous progressive state and local elected officials have endorsed Fateh, as have the hospitality union Unite Here! Local 17, Service Employees International Union Minnesota, and the Twin Cities branches of Democratic Socialists of America, Our Revolution, and Sunrise Movement.
Fateh's ascent has been compared to that of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, who is also a democratic socialist. Like Mamdani, Fateh has also been bombarded with racist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic hate by prominent right-wing social media users. Many haters have told the Washington, D.C.-born Fateh to "go back to Somalia."
The Minnesota branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations last week condemned these attacks and linked politically motivated hatred with the recent assassination of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-34B) and her husband, and shooting of John Hoffman (DFL-34) and his wife.
Hoffman phoned into the Minnesota DFL convention to endorse Fateh for mayor—a move that stood in stark contrast with New York Democrats including U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who have not endorsed Mamdani.
"Schumer and Jeffries could learn a thing or two from Minnesotans," said Austin Ahlman, a reporter and researcher with the Open Markets Institute's Center for Journalism & Liberty.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular