A mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the mayor of the U.S. city of Minneapolis. Incumbent DFL mayor Jacob Frey won reelection to a second term, becoming the first Minneapolis mayor to win a second term since R. T. Rybak in 2005. Minneapolis mayoral elections use instant-runoff voting, also known as ranked-choice voting. All candidates appear on the same ballot and there is no primary election of candidates. Nor is there a subsequent runoff election - the ranked ballot allow votes to be transferred without asking voters to vote again. Minneapolis's twin city, Saint Paul, also held a mayoral election on the same day, using the same system. Under Minneapolis's use of IRV, Frey won because at the end he had a majority of the votes still in play.
The election came in the wake of a tumultuous period for Minneapolis, deeply affected by the murder of George Floyd and subsequent civil unrest. Frey's campaign faced challenges from a crowded field of candidates, including former state Representative Kate Knuth and community organizer Sheila Nezhad. Both Knuth and Nezhad aligned with more progressive factions within the DFL and advocated for policing reforms and formed an alliance urging their supporters to rank them as their top choices and exclude Frey from their preferences.
The election also featured discussions on issues such as affordable housing, climate change, and economic recovery post-COVID-19 lockdowns.
Background 2017 election
Frey announced his candidacy for mayor of Minneapolis on January 3, 2017, and won the November 7 election. He was sworn into office on January 2, 2018.
Frey is Minneapolis's second Jewish mayor, and its second-youngest after Al Hofstede, who was 34 when he was elected in 1973. Frey campaigned on a platform of increasing support for affordable housing and improving police-community relations.
Candidates
Declared Nate "Honey Badger" Atkins (Libertarian), unconventional Libertarian A. J. Awed (DFL), co-executive director of the Cedar-Riverside Community Council Troy Benjegerdes (DFL), software engineer and candidate for mayor in 2013 and 2017 Bob Carney (Republican) Clint Conner (DFL), attorney and social justice advocate Christopher David (DFL) Jacob Frey (DFL), incumbent mayor Mark Globus (DFL), attorney and business leader Marcus Harcus (Grassroots–Legalize Cannabis), executive director of the Minnesota Campaign for Full Legalization Paul Johnson (Humanitarian-Community Party) Kate Knuth (DFL), educator and former state representative Doug Nelson (Socialist Workers) Sheila June Nezhad (DFL), community organizer Jerrell Perry (For the People Party) Laverne Turner (Republican), political advisor Kevin Ward (Independent) Mike Winter (Independence), commercial driver, podcast host, and Teamster Union steward
Withdrew David Tilsen (DFL), former Minneapolis School Board member (endorsed Nezhad) Philip Sturm (DFL), U.S. Marine Corps veteran
Endorsements Seven DFL members of the Minnesota State Legislature signed a letter urging Minneapolis residents not to reelect Frey and to instead elect a new mayor who would fight racial discrimination while improving public safety. The legislators who signed the letter were senators Scott Dibble and Omar Fateh and representatives Esther Agbaje, Jim Davnie, Aisha Gomez, Emma Greenman, and Hodan Hassan. The letter stops short of endorsing any specific candidate, but Agbaje, Davnie, Dibble, and Greenman separately endorsed Knuth. Gomez endorsed both Nezhad and Knuth.
Fundraising Campaign finance reports (1/1/2021–7/27/2021)CandidateTotal raisedExpensesCash on handNate Atkins$13,041$10,616$2,424A. J. Awed$263,005$235,464$27,598Troy Benjegerdes$0$0$0Bob Carney$0$0$0Clint Conner$60,450$45,589$14,860Christopher David$912$712$200Jacob Frey$676,271$754,283$155,767Mark Globus$25,420$23,413$2,006Marcus Harcus$0$0$0Paul Johnson$3,225$2,305$919Kate Knuth$227,505$179,710$47,795Sheila Nezhad$231,501$186,529$49,667Jerrell Perry$4,564$3,983$581Laverne Turner$1,830$1,042$753Mike Winter$150$150$0
Polling Poll sourceDate(s)administeredSamplesizeMarginof errorRCVcountA. J.AwedJacobFreyKateKnuthSheilaNezhadOthersExhaustedballotsUndecidedALG Research (D)ALG Research (D)October 16–19, 2021600 (LV)± 4.0%13%44%10%25%4%–13%3–45%12%26%–4%13%4–47%–27%–12%13%
Results + 2021 Minneapolis mayoral general election Candidate Round 1 Round 2 Votes % Votes % (incumbent) 61,620 70,669 30,368 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 26,468 55,007 6,860 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 4,620 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 4,309 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 2,788 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 1,189 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 1,179 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 1,158 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 739 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 687 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 642 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 493 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 282 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 243 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" 184 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" Write-ins 145 colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" colspan=14 style="text-align:center;" Exhausted ballots colspan=2 18,298 Total 143,974 100.0% 143,974 100.0%
Notes
Partisan clients
See also 2021 Minneapolis municipal election 2021 Minneapolis Question 2
References
External links Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services
Official campaign websites
Jacob Frey (DFL) for Mayor Kate Knuth (DFL) for Mayor
Philip Sturm (DFL) for Mayor