2025 Minneapolis City Council election
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All 13 seats on the Minneapolis City Council 7 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Minnesota |
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The 2025 Minneapolis City Council election will occur in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States on November 4, 2025. The Minneapolis City Council is made up of 13 members representing different parts of the city. Members elected in 2025 will serve four-year terms.[1] Council members will be elected alongside the mayor and other municipal offices.[2]
Background
[edit]This is the first Minneapolis City Council election since 2017 in which members are elected to the usual 4-year terms, rather than 2-year terms. In 2020, voters passed a ballot measure to elect council members to two separate, two-year terms in 2021 and 2023. This measure was meant to keep city council and mayoral terms concurrent.[3]
The 2023 election saw a progressive-leaning and democratic socialist majority elected to the council.[4] Prior to 2023, the more moderate faction held the majority.[5] The progressive-leaning faction is associated with the PAC Mpls for the Many and has support from the Twin Cities faction of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Its members include council members Payne, Chavez, Wonsley, Chughtai, Chowdhury, Ellison, and Cashman.[6][7] The moderate faction, represented by the All of Mpls PAC, includes council members Jenkins, Rainville, Vetaw, Palmisano, and Koski.[8][9] Councilmember Jamal Osman was not endorsed by either PAC in 2023 but has voted more often with the progressives.[10]
The mayor's 2025 city budget was approved by the council in December 2024, but with a record 71 amendments. Mayor Jacob Frey, who is associated with the moderate faction, vetoed the council's budget, the first time in city history. He cited fiscal irresponsibility and concerns over increased property taxes. The city council overrode the mayor’s veto with a supermajority vote of 9–4, thereby enacting the amended budget.[11] The amended budget included a $1.9 billion allocation with a 6.8% tax levy increase, diverging from Mayor Frey’s initial proposal which had an 8.1% property tax levy cap (later adjusted to 8.3%).[12]
Retiring members
[edit]- Jeremiah Ellison (DFL), Ward 5[13]
- Emily Koski (DFL), Ward 11 (running for mayor)[14]
Electoral system
[edit]The 13 members of the city council are elected from single-member districts via instant-runoff voting, commonly known as ranked choice voting. Voters have the option of ranking up to three candidates in order of preference. Municipal elections in Minnesota are officially nonpartisan, although candidates are able to identify with a political party on the ballot. Write-in candidates must file a request with the Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services Division for votes for them to be counted.
Summary of results
[edit]| Party | Candidates | 1st Choice Votes | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | ∆pp | No. | ∆No. | % | |||
| Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) | ||||||||
| Democratic Socialists of America | ||||||||
| Republican Party | ||||||||
| Socialist Workers Party | ||||||||
| Independent | ||||||||
| Write-in | ||||||||
| Total | ||||||||
| Valid votes | ||||||||
| Overvotes | ||||||||
| Undervotes | - | - | - | |||||
| Turnout (registered voters) | ||||||||
Ward 1
[edit]The 1st ward is based in northeast Minneapolis, stretching from the neighborhoods of Waite Park and Columbia Park down to Como.[15] The incumbent is Democrat and council president Elliott Payne, who was elected with 89.71% of the vote in 2023.[16]
Candidates
[edit]- Elliott Payne (DFL), incumbent, City Council president[17]
Ward 2
[edit]The 2nd ward contains the neighborhoods of Cooper, Prospect Park, and University District, as well as portions of Seward and Cedar-Riverside.[15] The incumbent is independent[a] Robin Wonsley, who was re-elected with 67.63% of the vote in the first round 2023.[16]
Candidates
[edit]- Robin Wonsley (independent), incumbent[18]
Ward 3
[edit]The 3rd ward contains the neighborhoods of Marcy-Holmes and St. Anthony as well as Nicollet Island and Downtown Minneapolis.[15] The incumbent is Democrat Michael Rainville, who won 69.45% of the vote in the first round in his 2023 re-election.[16]
Candidates
[edit]- Michael Rainville (DFL), incumbent[19]
- Emilio Rodríguez (DFL), University of Minnesota student[19]
- Jacob Thomas (DFL), veteran[20]
Ward 4
[edit]The 4th ward contains the neighborhoods of Jordan and Victory.[15] The incumbent is Democrat LaTrisha Vetaw, who was re-elected with 69.36% of the vote in the first round in 2023.[16]
Candidates
[edit]None announced yet.
Ward 5
[edit]The 5th ward contains the neighborhoods of Harrison, Near North, Hawthorne, and North Loop.[15] The incumbent is Democrat Jeremiah Ellison, who was re-elected in Round 1 with 52.54% of the vote in 2023.[16] Ellison is not seeking re-election.[13]
Candidates
[edit]Ward 6
[edit]The 6th ward contains the neighborhoods of Philips West, and Ventura Village, as well as portions of Seward, Stevens Square-Loring Heights, Cedar-Riverside, and Elliot Park.[15] The incumbent is Democrat Jamal Osman, who was re-elected in the second round of ranked-choice tabulation, receiving 44.73% of first-choice votes and 58.18% of final votes.[16]
Candidates
[edit]None announced yet.
Ward 7
[edit]The 7th ward contains the neighborhoods of Bryn Mawr, Cedar-Isles-Dean, Downtown West, East Isles, Kenwood, Loring Park, and Lowry Hill, as well as portions of Stevens Square-Loring Heights and Elliot Park.[15] The incumbent is Democrat Katie Cashman, who was first elected in the second round of ranked-choice tabulation in 2023, winning 48.41% of first-choice votes and 51.12% of final votes.[16]
Candidates
[edit]- Katie Cashman, incumbent[24]
Ward 8
[edit]The 8th ward contains the neighborhoods of Kingfield, Lyndale, Northrop, and Regina.[15] The incumbent is Democrat Andrea Jenkins, who was re-elected in the second round of ranked-choice-voting in 2023 despite receiving fewer first-choice votes than opponent Soren Stevenson. Jenkins won in 2023 with 43.32% of first-choice votes and 50.24% of final-round votes.[16] Stevenson announced his bid for the ward in December 2024.
Candidates
[edit]- Soren Stevenson (DFL), candidate for this ward in 2023[25]
- Josh Bassais (DFL), union organizer[21][26]
Ward 9
[edit]The 9th ward contains the neighborhoods of Corcoran, East Phillips, Longfellow, Midtown Phillips, and Powderhorn Park.[15] The incumbent is Democrat Jason Chavez, who was re-elected in the first round of tabulation with 78.94% of the vote in 2023.[16]
Candidates
[edit]Ward 10
[edit]The 10th ward contains the neighborhoods of East Bde Maka Ska, Lowry Hill East, South Uptown, and Whittier, as well as a portion of East Harriet.[15] The incumbent is Democrat and current council vice president Aisha Chughtai, who was re-elected in the first round with 60.74% of the vote in 2023.[16]
Candidates
[edit]None announced yet.
Ward 11
[edit]The 11th ward contains the neighborhoods of Diamond Lake, Hale, Page, Northrop, Tangletown, Wenonah, and Windom, as well as a portion of Keewaydin.[15] The incumbent is Democrat Emily Koski, who was re-elected with 88.36% of the first-round vote in 2023.[16] Koski is not seeking re-election, focusing instead on a bid for mayor.[14]
Candidates
[edit]Ward 12
[edit]The 12th ward contains the neighborhoods of Cooper, Ericsson, Hiawatha, Howe, Minnehaha, Morris Park, and Standish, as well as a portion of Keewaydin.[15] The incumbent is Democrat Aurin Chowdhury, who was first elected with 53.75% of the vote in round 1 in 2023.[16]
Candidates
[edit]- Aurin Chowdhury, incumbent[29]
- Becka Thompson, Park Board commissioner[30]
Ward 13
[edit]The 13th ward contains the neighborhoods of Armatage, Fulton, Kenny, Linden Hills, Lynnhurst, and West Maka Ska, as well as a portion of East Harriet.[15] The incumbent is Democrat Linea Palmisano, who was re-elected in the first round with 73.58% of the vote in 2023.[16]
Candidates
[edit]None announced yet.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Wonsley has used "Democratic Socialists of America" on her ballot line, but DSA is not a political party and Wonsley herself is an independent.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Minneapolis Charter & Elected Officials" (PDF). City of Minneapolis: Office of the City Clerk. April 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
- ^ "What's on the Ballot?". City of Minneapolis Elections and Voter Services. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ Hinrichs, Erin; Gustavo, Solomon (November 4, 2020). "Twin Cities results: Minneapolis passes ballot questions; new members elected to Hennepin County Board". Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ "What a progressive majority city council could mean for Minneapolis". MPR News. 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ Halter, Nick (2021-11-04). "Minneapolis City Council leans slightly moderate after 2021 election". Axios. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ "2023 Endorsements". Twin Cities DSA. 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ "MplsForTheMany". MplsForTheMany. 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ "All of Mpls". All of Mpls. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ Stokes, Kyle (2023-11-08). "Ward 8 race between Jenkins and Stevenson goes to second choice ballot". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ Martin, Josh. "Minneapolis Divided Vote Tracker". Google Sheets. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ "2025 City Budget (Legislative File 2024-00959)". Legislative Information Management System (LIMS). 2024-09-03. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ "2024 Adopted Budget". stories.opengov.com. City of Minneapolis. 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ a b Swanson, Stephen (November 26, 2024). "Jeremiah Ellison won't seek reelection to Minneapolis City Council". WCCO News. CBS. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Nace, Aki (December 4, 2024). "Minneapolis City Councilmember Emily Koski announces mayoral run". WCCO News. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Van Oot, Torey (March 26, 2023). "Who's running for Minneapolis City Council in 2023". Axios Twin Cities. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "2023 Election results". Source: Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ @ElliottForWard1 (December 2, 2024). "I'm running for re-election because the stakes have never been higher" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 December 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Wonsley, Robin [@robin4mpls] (October 24, 2024). "I'm excited to announce I'm running for re-election!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 11, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Aigner, Grace (December 9, 2024). "Rainville holds steadfast in his moderate ways ahead of reelection". The Minnesota Daily. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Jacob for Ward 3". Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Candidates seeking Minneapolis DFL endorsement in 2025". Minneapolis DFL. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Meet Ethrophic". Ethropic Burnett for Ward 5. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Anndrea Young for Ward 5". Invest in 5. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "I'm running for re-election in 2025! 🌻 Since being elected to serve Ward 7 on the Minneapolis City Council in 2023, I have worked diligently to move our city forward. I look forward to continuing to advance people-first policies and transparent governance. 🧵". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ "My name is Soren Stevenson. I am a renter in the Lyndale neighborhood, a union member, and a survivor of police violence. I'm running for City Council in Ward 8 because my neighbors deserve a kinder, safer Minneapolis. That future isn't just necessary - it's within reach". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ "Josh Bassais for City Council". Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "I'm excited to announce that I will be seeking re-election to continue representing Ward 9 on the Minneapolis City Council. When I first ran, I heard from you that the direction our city was heading towards disregarded the voices of our community. 1/". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ @jmo1232 (December 5, 2024). "I am excited to announce that I am running to be the next Minneapolis City Council Member for Ward 11!". Retrieved December 10, 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ @teamaurin (December 2, 2024). "Re-Election Campaign Kickoff Party". Retrieved 11 December 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ Thompson, Becka. "I was going to wait until christmas but… its Taylor Swifts birthday and friday the 13rh". TikTok. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
