Mamdani-mentum: Who are the other socialist candidates soaring among Democrats

Could Minnesota state Sen. Omar Fateh, who's running for mayor of Minneapolis, become the next Zohran Mamdani?

Mamdani, the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman from New York City, stunned the nation's political world last month by coming from behind to convincingly win the Democratic Party mayoral nomination in the nation's most populous city.

With his victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates, Mamdani took a big step toward becoming New York City's first Muslim and first millennial mayor.

Like Mamdani, Fateh is a Muslim democratic socialist and, at 35, a fellow member of Generation Y.

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Democratic socialist Minnesota state Sen. Omar Fateh, center, who is running for mayor of Minneapolis, has been compared to New York City's Zohran Mamdani. (Omar Fateh mayoral campaign)

Mamdani, as he runs for mayor, is pushing an agenda that includes eliminating fares to ride New York City's vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) "tuition-free," freezing rents on municipal housing, offering "free childcare" for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores.

Fateh, the son of immigrant parents from Somalia who five years ago became the first Somali-American elected to the Minnesota Senate, pledges if elected mayor to raise the city's minimum wage, increase the supply of affordable housing, and combat what he calls police violence.

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Republicans have been relentless in taking aim at Mamdani and his far-left proposals. They are repeatedly trying to make him the face of the Democratic Party while also attempting to anchor him to vulnerable Democrats up for re-election in next year's midterms.

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party's nominee for mayor of New York City, speaks during a campaign rally on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

While not grabbing the kind of media frenzy that surrounds Mamdani, Republicans and conservatives have started targeting Fateh.

Charlie Kirk — the conservative host and MAGA-world rockstar who leads the influential Turning Point USA political youth organization - recently took aim at Fateh over his Muslim identity.

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On Saturday, the Minneapolis Democratic Farmer Labor Party (the name of the Democratic Party in Minnesota) meets to decide whether to make an endorsement in the city's mayoral race. Insiders say the party will likely either back Fateh or stay neutral and not endorse any candidate.

There are other candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) that are grabbing attention in municipal races across the country.

Among them is Michigan's Denzel McCampbell, who is running for the Detroit City Council in District 7. McCampbell has a history of working on issues like voting rights.

In Ithaca, New York, student organizer Hannah Shvets won a primary to represent the city's Ward 5.

Shvets, who is pushing a platform focused on affordable housing, climate action, public safety reform, and government transparency, is supported by the Ithaca chapter of the DSA. 

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."