Somali-American loses Minneapolis mayoral race, but the winner still speaks his language … literally

Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor Mayor Jacob Frey celebrated his re-election victory this week against his Democratic Socialist challenger, state Sen. Omar Fateh, a Somali-American.

‘This election means this is a moment for unity, where the entire Somali community can come together and say, “This is our people.”‘

The ranked-choice election entered a second round of vote counting after no candidate received over 50% of first-choice votes. Frey won a third term after securing 50.03% to Fateh’s 44.37% in the final round.

A video began circulating online showing Frey celebrating his mayoral victory at a lively gathering with supporters, many of whom were from the Somali community. In the video, Frey addressed the crowd in Somali, presumably thanking those in the city’s Somali community who supported his campaign.

The video, from Raad Media, was apparently originally posted by journalist Yusuf Shire on TikTok and shared by conservative political commentators Libs of TikTok and Paul A. Szypula on X.

“I couldn’t believe how long Frey went full Somali. The pandering is beyond comprehension,” Szypula wrote. “Minneapolis is beyond lost.”

“No matter where you are from, Minneapolis should be a place where you are proud to call home,” Frey told the crowd in English, according to the video.

RELATED: Minneapolis mayoral race enters second round of ranked-choice vote counting

Mayor Jacob Frey. Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

“Whether you are from Bosaso, or Mogadishu, whether you’re from Hargeisa or Galkayo,” he said in English, referring to cities in Somalia, “Minneapolis is a place where you come to seek prosperity, where you come to raise your family.”

“This election means this is a moment for unity, where the entire Somali community can come together and say, ‘This is our people. This is our city. We are united behind each other,'” he added in English.

RELATED: Socialist surge: Minneapolis mayor left in the lurch after DFL Party endorses far-left challenger obsessed with race

Minneapolis mayoral candidate state Sen. Omar Fateh, Rep. Ilhan Omar. Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Other videos uploaded to TikTok by Shire, which appeared to be from the same event, showed Frey dancing with his supporters.

President Donald Trump’s administration declared English the official language of the U.S. in March.

The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh reacted to the video of Frey, stating, “As I have said many times now, politicians in this country should be required by law to speak English when addressing the public in an official capacity. There should never be a time when Americans can’t understand what their elected leaders are saying.”

Frey’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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