The DFL caucuses in Minneapolis this week drew twice as many people as the last city election four years ago, but no candidate for mayor emerged as a dominant favorite.
That makes a DFL endorsement in the race less likely, setting up a wide-open race for the city's top political job.
Caucus results haven't been tallied and will only be partial even once completed. But reports from about 20 DFL insiders across the city point to a three-way endorsement race at the Minneapolis DFL convention on July 8.
Council Member Jacob Frey mustered a visible presence and performed well in voter-rich neighborhoods to the west and south of downtown. Support for Mayor Betsy Hodges was not as visible but was nonetheless widespread, with a solid showing in most parts of the city.
The night's biggest surprise was state Rep. Raymond Dehn, who made strong showings in areas north and west of downtown, where he is best known to residents, but also in Northeast and in areas just south of downtown.
Tom Hoch, former head of Hennepin Theatre Trust, did not attract much caucus support. Nekima Levy-Pounds, a lawyer and former head of the Minneapolis NAACP, announced a day before the caucuses that she would not seek the DFL endorsement.
The next major milepost in the mayor's race is the city DFL convention at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Delegates elected Tuesday night will gather to try to endorse a candidate. Uncommitted delegates already have begun to receive phone calls.
The DFL has failed to endorse a mayoral candidate in a contested Minneapolis race for two decades. In order to win the endorsement, a candidate has to gain the support of 60 percent of convention delegates.