Jacob Frey, Oakton Native, Wins Minneapolis Mayor Election

OAKTON, VA—Jacob Frey, who grew up in Oakton, has won the Minneapolis mayor's race, election officials announced Wednesday. He defeated Mayor Betsy Hodges, who has been facing criticism after a police-involved shooting.

Minneapolis held municipal elections Tuesday, Nov. 7, and large turnout numbers led to no official winner being declared the same day. Frey had the lead in first-choice votes Tuesday night, but officials did not declare him the winner until Wednesday afternoon. Because none of the candidates won a majority of votes during the first count, voters' second and third preferences were counted until one candidate has a majority, MPR reported. Frey gained 26,116 votes, while Hodges placed third with 18,915, according to unofficial vote counts.

The city's mayoral race spotlighted affordable housing, police shootings and racial justice, particularly after a police officer fatally shot 40-year-old Australian woman Justine Damond in July. Protesters called for Hodge to resign after appointing the assistant police chief to replace the police chief that resigned.

Frey, 36, is a Minneapolis City Council member since 2014 and member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. He grew up in Oakton and attended the College of William & Mary on a track scholarship, graduating in 2004. He received a law degree from Villanova University. He moved to Minneapolis in 2008 to begin his law career at Faegre & Benson (now Faegre Baker Daniels) and then Halunen Law.

He took his experience as a civil rights attorney to the City Council, defeating an incumbent in 2013. During the mayoral election, he has emphasized issues like affordable housing and homelessness, public safety and police reform, improved public transit and climate change. He will take office in 2018.

Patch Editor William Bornhoft in Minnesota contributed to this report.

Image via Jacob Frey, Minneapolis City Council