On Tuesday, voters in Minneapolis made international news for holding off the socialist challenge in local elections, unlike their counterparts in New York City.
In the rest of America, voters may be bitterly divided between Democrats and Republicans. But politics abhors a vacuum, so true-blue locales like Minneapolis and New York City have split down the middle between socialists and “moderates.”
On Tuesday in Minneapolis, moderates appear to have turned back the tide, ever so slightly.
I created this scorecard to keep the players straight from the mayor through all 13 city council members, listed by ward (district).
In the chart above, incumbents are noted in bold, with winners circled by a box.
The progressive/socialist/far-left cadre is listed on the left, identified by the endorsements from like-mined groups. These lefter-leaning groups include the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Minneapolis for the Many, and TakeAction MN.
“Moderates” are listed in the rightmost column, with their endorsements by the business-backed group All of Minneapolis.
Going into election night, “progressives” held an 8-5 advantage over “moderates” on the 13-member council.
One incumbent lost on Tuesday, the lefter-learning Katie Cashman (Ward 7). Ward 8 had been with the moderates, but the socialist candidate Soren Stevenson took the open seat.
Moderates won both remaining open seats, including the one held by the retiring Jeremiah Ellison (Ward 5), son of the state Attorney General.
On net, moderates gained a seat for an apparent 7-6 split, with the balance of power now in the hands of…Jamal Osman (Ward 6).
The Minnesota Star Tribune reports on the ideological breakdown,
The math leaves the progressives with a one-seat majority and the difficult task of rounding up two more votes to get the nine needed to override a Frey veto.
But it could be a stage set for a swing voter, and Osman told supporters after winning re-election Tuesday night that he would be that person.
What could go wrong? The Star Tribune adds,
Osman has often distanced himself from the DSA’s skepticism toward policing, and before the progressive bloc took control two years ago, he frequently voted with the comparatively moderate majority.
Hanging by a thread.
