Mayor Jacob Frey raising big bucks; Fateh fundraising gets big boost after DFL endorsement

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s re-election campaign says it broke the fundraising record for any Minneapolis mayoral campaign for donations through July, thanks to an influx of new and small-dollar donors.

So far this year, the Frey campaign has raised more than $539,000, over 40% more than he raised during the last campaign four years ago, according to newly released campaign finance data and the campaign. His campaign has raised a total of more than $647,000, and has almost $450,000 in cash on hand.

Sen. Omar Fateh, who won the endorsement of the Minneapolis DFL Party in July, reported raising about $213,000, but his campaign only has about $54,000 in cash left.

The figures come from campaign finance reports due Saturday that offer the first real look at how much candidates are raising and spending for this fall’s citywide elections.

Fateh’s campaign manager, Akhi Menawat, said he isn’t surprised Frey is out-raising Fateh, but said the campaign got a major boost after winning the DFL endorsement. Fateh went from raising an average of $721 per day to $4,500 after the endorsement, he said.

Fateh’s campaign has more than 1,700 donors, with a median donation of $30, Menawat said. And many are public sector workers: The top five employers of donors are the University of Minnesota, state of Minnesota, Minneapolis Public Schools, Hennepin County and the city of Minneapolis, he said.

Frey’s campaign manager, Sam Schulenberg, released a statement saying Frey has more than 1,500 donors, with a “historic influx of new and small dollar donors.”

All 13 City Council seats and the mayor’s office are up for election on Nov. 4. Here are some highlights of the campaign finance reports showing fundraising totals through July:

Park Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer — who won the Minneapolis DFL endorsement over incumbent Katie Cashman — has raised a total of $144,000 for the Ward 7 City Council campaign in west Minneapolis, nearly double Cashman’s $84,300 haul.

Their cash-on-hand totals are closer: Shaffer has nearly $77,000 left, while Cashman has about $40,000.

Cashman is one of the more progressive council members, while Shaffer has been endorsed by All of Mpls, a more moderate group aligned with Frey.

Challenger Lydia Millard has a campaign chest of nearly $83,000 in Ward 10, which includes Uptown, more than three times the amount raised by the incumbent, Aisha Chughtai, who has just over $26,000.

Millard is spending the money faster: Chughtai has nearly $33,000 in cash on hand, while Millard has less than $19,000 left.

Just $3 separates the fundraising totals in Ward 2, on the eastern side of the city, including the University of Minnesota.

Shelley Madore reports a total of $50,496 — $3 more than incumbent Robin Wonsley.

Madore is a community organizer and former DFL state legislator. Wonsley is the city’s first Black democratic socialist City Council member, and often publicly clashes with Frey. Wonsley successfully blocked an endorsement in the ward.

Tinitha Pearll Warren has raised nearly $27,000 for her campaign in northern Minneapolis’ Ward 5, followed by a more progressive candidate, Ethrophic Burnett, with nearly $18,000.

The three other candidates in the race raised $5,300 or less. Nobody was endorsed by the Minneapolis DFL in this ward.

Incumbent Andrea Jenkins is not seeking re-election in Ward 8 in south-central Minneapolis, after narrowly beating challenger Soren Stevenson in 2023.

Stevenson is leading in fundraising with more than $51,000, compared to about $35,000 raised by Josh Bassais, a former DFL Party precinct chair.