Will the Minneapolis DFL endorse a democratic socialist for mayor? It could happen Saturday.

The Minneapolis DFL could be on the verge of endorsing a democratic socialist for mayor.

On Saturday, more than 1,000 party activists will gather at Target Center to rally, argue and haggle over the party’s symbolic but still important seal of approval for this fall’s mayoral election.

According to insiders, the suspense is whether state Sen. Omar Fateh, a democratic socialist, will win the endorsement, or two-term Mayor Jacob Frey will succeed in blocking Fateh, resulting in the party issuing no endorsement.

Only one mayoral candidate has won the Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement since 1997: R.T. Rybak, who was endorsed in 2009. The endorsement carries no legal weight, but it’s still coveted in the overwhelmingly Democratic city and can open party resources to the endorsed candidate.

A candidate must win the support of 60% of delegates to be endorsed, and mayoral hopefuls have struggled to reach that threshold in Minneapolis. About 800 delegates will vote on endorsements for mayor, Park Board and the tax-setting Board of Estimate and Taxation.

The fact that what had been a two-day convention has been squeezed into one makes it less likely that anyone will be endorsed for mayor, due to time constraints: The delegates must adjourn by 10 p.m.

Minneapolis DFL Chair John Maraist said he expects several rounds of voting and “an endorsement is possible” for mayor.

There are about a half dozen candidates for mayor, but Fateh and Frey are the only two expected to have enough support to win the endorsement.

Fateh has gotten more attention since Zohran Mamdani defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s mayoral Democratic primary last month. Some news outlets have dubbed Fateh the “Mamdani of Minneapolis.”

There are some similarities: Both Fateh and Mamdani are in their 30s, Muslim, democratic socialists and state lawmakers advocating to make their cities more affordable.

Democratic socialism — which espouses progressive and populist ideas further left than those held by traditional Democrats — has been ascendant in Minneapolis and other liberal cities for several years. The political ideology and now Mamdani and Fateh have become punching bags for the right.

Fateh led legislation to provide tuition-free college for some students and pay higher wages to rideshare drivers. He is also advocating for rent stabilization and preventing evictions, a $20 minimum wage by 2028, and a ban on the police interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Fateh also of late has been making more lighthearted social media videos (a cornerstone of Mamdani’s campaign).

“There’s a lot of mimicry going on,” said former Frey campaign manager Joe Radinovich. “I don’t think the New York election is having an impact … but I do think affordability is the No. 1 issue … specifically, housing affordability.”

Radinovich helped run a new political action committee called We Love Minneapolis that focused on the endorsements, opposing democratic socialists and those aligned with them on the City Council. The goal was to try to flip control of the council back to more moderate Democrats aligned with Frey. Radinovich is now involved with a new political group called Thrive MPLS that will focus on engaging voters for the November election.

Radinovich said if anyone can get endorsed, he gives Fateh the edge.

“An endorsement would be notable because Frey has won twice and Fateh is a DSA member,” Radinovich said, referring to the Democratic Socialists of America.

“The DFL delegates are not always representative of the electorate,” he said.

Fateh would not make any predictions, saying he and his team have a “solid plan for the convention.”

Frey’s campaign manager, Sam Schulenberg, said the Frey camp expects to have a strong showing on the first ballot, but with the mayor likely finishing second, just as he did in the previous two city conventions.

“The more people that vote, the better Mayor Frey does, which is why he has always done better with the electorate of over 100,000 voters than with the small group of 800 people who vote at the convention,” Schulenberg said.

If Frey gets 40% support on the first ballot, that would all but shut the door on a Fateh endorsement, because candidates need 60% to win.

If Fateh has a strong lead, Davis and Hampton will be pressured to throw their support behind him.

Mamdani and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander formed an alliance right before their primary, endorsing each other in an effort to defeat Cuomo. Some suspect a similar alliance between Davis, Hampton and Fateh – who were seen wearing each others’ campaign buttons at a forum one day after Mamdani’s big win.

Davis said they wore the buttons to emphasize their mutual desire for new leadership. He said he’s confident he has “a solid number of delegates that make us competitive” but also made it clear he wants to see a new mayor.

“I have found in the others — I think these are people who are prepared to be mayor and will bring a new burst of energy and a new focus,” Davis said. “That is our belief, that it is time for new leadership. And so whether you call that an alliance or whether you call that a coalition, that’s fine, but I think we’ve made very clear that it’s time to move in a different direction.”

Hampton said he plans to stay in the race “as long as possible.” His spokesperson clarified Thursday that he will fight for the endorsement as long as possible and is committed to staying in the race regardless of Saturday’s outcome.

Early voting for the ranked-choice election begins Sept. 19 and Election Day is Nov. 4. The official candidate filing period hasn’t even started: It begins July 29 and runs through Aug. 12.

In addition to choosing a mayor in November, Minneapolis will vote in 13 City Council members, deciding whether progressives stay in control or moderates aligned with Frey return to power.

Council endorsements have already been decided, and two progressive incumbent City Council members did not win the Minneapolis DFL endorsement, a red flag for the more progressive wing that took control of the body last year. Progressive Council Member Katie Cashman and Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai failed to win the endorsement.

DFL-endorsed candidates usually go on to win Minneapolis elections, but not always: See Council Member Andrea Jenkins.

A third council member, Robin Wonsley, also wasn’t endorsed by the DFL but didn’t seek the party’s support because she’s a democratic socialist. Her supporters successfully blocked any endorsement.