The radical left scored a generational victory with the election of Zohran Mamdani as the next mayor of America's largest city - but the movement suffered a surprising setback in the Midwest as a Mamdani ally went down in defeat.

Far-left socialist Omar Fateh, called the "Mamdani of the Midwest" by some, lost his race against incumbent Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, the New York Post reported. 

Frey squeaked to re-election by six points under the city's ranked-choice system, the Daily Mail reported.

Mamdani of the Midwest

Fateh's campaign had drawn comparisons to Mamdani's, with many seeing the socialist figures as part of a wider trend of mass immigration from Third World countries pushing American politics leftward.

Fateh is the first Somali American and Muslim to serve in the Minnesota state Senate.

Like Uganda-born Mamdani, Fateh has championed the interests of immigrants, and both have ties to Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the largest socialist group in the country.

Third World invasion

Minneapolis is home to the largest Somali diaspora population in America, and the city is famously the political base of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a far-left Democrat and former Somali refugee.

In one of his final campaign events, Fateh, who was born in the U.S. to Somali parents, waved a Somali flag and spoke in the language to a crowd of supporters, sparking backlash.

Fateh's defeat in the mayoral race is a small relief to Americans who have witnessed the rise of Mamdani with alarm.

"Thank you, Minneapolis!" Fateh wrote. "While this wasn't the outcome we wanted, I am incredibly grateful to every single person who supported our grassroots campaign. I'll keep fighting alongside you to build the city we deserve. Onward."

Woke and woker

While Fateh's radical campaign brought backlash, Frey has also faced his share of controversy. He became widely known after the death of George Floyd in 2020, which set off historic riots in Minneapolis that rippled across the nation. Some blamed Frey for surrendering the city to the mob, while Frey said Governor Tim Walz (D) was slow to deploy the National Guard.

At the time, Frey faced leftist jeers for refusing to support the abolition of the police as calls to "defund" law enforcement swept the country. Frey later opposed a 2021 ballot measure to replace the police with a "Department of Public Safety."

Fateh backed the radical proposal, which failed as crime surged and the "defund" movement lost momentum.

While Frey is perhaps not as woke as Fateh, Frey has many of the same leftist policies. At a March town hall event with Rep. Omar, Frey pledged to make the city a "haven" for illegal aliens, echoing Fateh's pledge to block lawful deportations.

"I want all of you just to know exactly where we are as far as our neighbors go, Minneapolis will continue to be a safe haven for undocumented immigrants,” Frey said.