Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis City Council member who lost a 2022 bid for Congress by two percentage points, and blamed the loss on lack of support from pro-Israel groups, will seek a rematch with Rep. Ilhan Omar in Minnesota’s 5th district.

Both Mr. Samuels and Rep. Omar are Democrats and the August primary serves as the de facto general election in the heavily Democratic district. 2022 proved that once again when the former Minneapolis councilor lost to Omar who is currently serving a third term.

Mr. Samuels announced his second bid against the congresswoman on yesterday’s WCCO Radio The Sunday Take by Blois Olson where he told the host what is different this time “is that I am starting in November instead of April and I am going to be participating fully in the preliminary aspects of the race meaning the caucus, convention and have an early relationship with the voters and funders.”

In a news release sent out immediately following his appearance on WCCO Radio, Samuels provided a reason for his second bid.

“Our neighbors deserve a leader who will represent our values in Washington, D.C., working with the Biden administration and other democratic colleagues to strengthen democracy, promote peace around the globe, and create a future of opportunity in America,” said Samuels in his news release.

The release also criticized the congresswoman, who in April announced her support for Biden’s reelection, for voting against President Biden’s infrastructure legislation.

In a release following Samuel’s announcement, Rep. Omar touted her legislative achievements benefiting her district.

“I’m incredibly proud of the model of cogovernance we’ve built in the 5th District, which has included monthly town halls, routine constituent service resource fairs and a brand new district office. I’ve brought over $40 million to the district in the form of community projects—including a brand new affordable housing facility for veterans in Robbinsdale that I toured this weekend. As a leader of the House Budget Committee and Progressive Caucus,” said Omar. “I’ve continued to fight for the progressive values Minnesotans sent me to advocate for—whether it’s fighting to codify Roe v. Wade into law, pushing for historic climate legislation, addressing the opioid crisis or fighting for an assault weapons ban.”

Samuels, who lives in north Minneapolis, is an immigrant from Jamaica and a former toy designer. He is married to Sondra and they have four children.

In 2019, 23-year-old Nadia Mohamed made history when she became the youngest person elected to the city council in the city of St. Louis Park. On Tuesday, Mohamed made history again, this time as the first Somali immigrant elected as mayor of a U.S. city, and the first Black mayor of the suburban city in the Minneapolis metro area. In her victory speech, Mohamed credited her mother for her win.

“She gets to go and watch her daughter legislate in the same building where she used to go to pay her public housing rent.,” said Mohamed.

Mohamed won 58.45% of all cast ballots by registered voters, defeating her opponent Dale A. Anderson.

Mohamed first ran for elected office in 2019 and won a position as an at-large councilmember. She was 22 years old and a fresh college graduate. She attributed her political success to the St. Louis Park Human Rights Award, which she won in March 2019. She said she entered politics because she saw the need for voices like hers—a person of color, an immigrant, a renter, and a woman.

Four years on the St. Louis Park Multicultural Advisory Committee prior to elected office also provided her with the experience needed to lead with competency. The Multicultural Advisory Committee plans and implements efforts to connect various communities within the city.

Mohamed kicked off her campaign for mayor in May at the Westwood Hills Nature Center on May 31, the same place where she held her elections night watch party.

Incorporated as a village in November 1886, St. Louis Park grew from 31 people to a first-ring western suburb of Minneapolis with more than 50,000 people, 77% whom identify as white, 8% as Black, 5% as Latino, and 4% as Asian, according to 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data.

Mohamed attended Aquila Primary as a 4^th grader, when she (at the age of 10) along with her mother and siblings joined her father in Minnesota. Mohamed continued in the St. Louis Park school system, graduating from the public high school in 2015.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources management from Metropolitan State University and is presently pursuing her master’s in educational leadership at St. Thomas University. She works as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion specialist at a primary school in St. Louis Park.

While Deqa Dhalac, the mayor of South Portland, Maine, is the first Somali American to serve as mayor, she was first elected to the city council in 2018 before a seven-member board chose her to serve as the city’s mayor in 2021.

Lynette Dumalag, who represents Ward 2 in St. Louis Park city council said she looked forward to seeing Mohamed bring her lived experience to her job as a first-generation, younger person who’s a renter, “we don’t hear very often in council chambers.”

“I’m excited to see all the things we’ll get to do as council with Nadia running the meeting advancing some of the values that we have as a city,” Dumalag said.

For some people, running for office and not winning could mark the end their political ambitions. Not Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley. After an unsuccessful attempt in 2022 for election to the Minnesota State Senate, Hiltsley is back on the campaign trail. Only this time, the Kenyan American leader is going for the honor to represent District 38A in the state’s House of Representatives.

Hiltsley announced her new bid during an event held on the afternoon of Saturday Oct. 21 at the gazebo on the grounds of the Community Activity Center in the Twin Cities suburb of Brooklyn Park, where she lives. The central focus of her campaign is on raising awareness about the gap that exists in fostering community-wide understanding of the political process, especially in such a diverse community, she said. Hiltsley said there were, for instance, resources, and funds tailored to different communities, but some weren’t taking advantage because they did not know about them.

“I aim to raise awareness and bridge the divide for those who may face challenges that need addressing before active participation, those who lack the necessary knowledge, or those impeded by barriers in accessing opportunities,” Hiltsley said.

District 38A encompasses the southern half of Brooklyn park and the entire city of Osseo. The other half of Brooklyn Park is represented by Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman. Brooklyn Park is a minority-majority city, with people of color accounting for 55% of the population. People who identify themselves as Black or African American make up more than 29% in Brooklyn Park, making them the single largest minority group, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. African immigrants fondly refer to the city and neighboring Brooklyn Center as “Little Africa.” Politicians like Hiltsley say, however, that the strength of people of African descent isn’t reflected in Little Africa’s leadership beyond local city council government.

As an example, Hiltsley points to involvement on the board of Black Farmers, an organization dedicated to incorporating Black people into the agricultural sector. She said she joined the board because the challenges of Black farmers remain largely unaddressed by current legislation and policies.

“We’ve found ourselves in recurring conversations because we haven’t been at the decision-making table,” Hiltsley said.

Hiltsley is a first-generation Kenyan immigrant, who has lived in Minnesota since she was a child. She is an alumna of Robbinsdale Cooper School, and holds an impressive academic background, including three bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree, all from Bethel University, with one of her degrees specializing in International Business. Her professional journey led her into the fields of data privacy and data protection, but she said her true calling was community advocacy to address the needs of all residents. She is the immediate former president of Mwanyagetinge, a community organization of Kenyans living in Minnesota.

Chelsea Youngquist, Hiltsley’s , underscored the importance of what she said was Hiltsley’s unique perspective.

“It’s time to harness her energy, embrace her innovative ideas, and rally around her dedication to strengthening our community,” Youngquist said. “This commitment has been evident since her Senate run.”

That run for the Senate was in 2020, when Hiltsley joined the race to succeed Chris Eaton, who was retiring after more than a decade of representing District 40 in the upper house of Minnesota’s state legislature. But her battle became harder when the redistricting mandated by the results of the 2020 U.S. census placed her in the same constituency (Senate District 38) as another newcomer, Susan Pha, a popular Hmong American who at the time was a member of the city council in Brooklyn Park. Their contest to win the endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer Labor Party (DFL), as the Democrats are known in the state, ended in a stalemate. Although Hiltsley garnered more delegates than Pha, she fell six points short of the 60% required to earn the party’s endorsement. The delegates’ failure to agree on a candidate took the contest to voters in the DFL primaries, where Pha edged Hiltsley. Pha went on to win the seat in the heavily Democratic district.

Hiltsley has now decided to shift to the House of Representatives with what she said was a broader mission in mind. She said one of her aims was to elevate awareness and champion innovative policies that empower BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities and immigrants.

Micah LeRoy, who was an intern in Hiltsley’s 2022 senatorial campaign described her as someone who believes that communities are “stronger together.”

“This sentiment encapsulates the spirit and vision driving Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley’s candidacy for the House of Representatives in District 38A,” LeRoy said.

Today, Friday September 22, is the first day Minnesotans can start voting early for the November 2023 election. This November it is all about local elections as there are no statewide or federal races on the ballot.

This will also be the first election where those on parole or probation can also vote, as long as they are not in a correctional facility. If one has a felony conviction, they can vote while on work release, home monitoring or probation or parole.

In Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center, there are no city council elections, but voters in those two cities will be voting in school board elections.

All 13 Minneapolis City Council seats are on the ballot as is the case in St. Paul for all its seven wards. In Minneapolis, first term Ward 2 Councilwoman Robin Wonsley is running unopposed.

The candidate filing period for municipal and school district races closed on August 15 most cities unless a primary was required in which case it would have been May 30.

In St. Louis Park, the city has a chance in electing Minnesota’s first Somali mayor should they elect Nadia Mohamed as their new mayor. She has one challenger for the open seat.

In Bloomington, businessman Isaak Roble is seeking to represent District 4 on the City Council and could become the first Somali to do so should he prevail in November.

Bloomington, Minneapolis and St. Louis Park are in Hennepin County and all three use Ranked Choice Voting. Ranked voting in Minnesota is only allowed for municipal elections and it eliminates the need for primaries.

Where to vote early

Before Election Day you can vote early at your city hall, or other community accessible locations your county might make available.

Go to the links below for Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington counties for information on how and where you can vote early.

• Anoka County Early Voting
• Dakota County Early Voting
• Hennepin County Early Voting
• Ramsey County Early Voting
• Washington County Early Voting

Also visit the Minnesota Secretary of State website on information on how to register to vote, or to check or update your registration.

Nadia Mohamed, a state DEI specialist and current mayor pro tem of the St. Louis Park City Council, filed officially to run for mayor during the filing period that closed last week.

She will become the first Somali mayor in Minnesota if she beats retired banker Dale Anderson in November. Anderson is the only other candidate that filed by the deadline.

A win in November will also make her the second elected Somali mayor of an American city after Mayor Deqa Dhalac of South Portland in Maine.

St. Louis Park, where the former prime minister of Greece, Andreas Papandreou, used to live in the 1950s,  is one of a handful of cities in Minnesota that use ranked choice voting for local elections. The city of almost 50,000 is mostly white but has seen its population of people of color more than double in the last twenty years, according to U.S. Census figures.

Mohamed’s official campaign to become St. Louis Park’s next Mayor began in April after current Mayor Jake Spano announced he will not be seeking reelection. The campaign kickoff event was held at the Westwood Hills Nature Center on May 31.

If elected, Mohamed would be the first Black person, first Muslim and first Somali to hold the office of Mayor in St. Louis Park’s history and at 26, the youngest mayor to be elected. She made history in 2019 when she became the youngest council member elected to the first ring Minneapolis suburb’s city council, as well as the first Muslim and Somali councilor. Just a year earlier the city had awarded her its 2018 Human Rights Award.

The city council has seven members which includes the mayor. Four members are elected to represent specific wards while the mayor and two “at-large” members are elected by voters citywide. Mohamed is one of the at-large members, meaning she had to campaign citywide when she ran in 2019 and won.

In November, local elections on the ballot for St. Louis Park voters will include the election of mayor, two at-large council members (At-Large A and At-Large B) and one school board member.  Yolanda Farris who was appointed by the city council in January to fill the vacant At-Large A seat until the November election, looks set to win the seat in her own right in as she is running unopposed.

After the candidate filing period closed last week, Mohamed sat down with Mshale for an interview regarding her candidacy and the future of the city she wants to be mayor of.

Mohamed came to the United States in 2007 as a refugee from Somalia at the age 10 with her family and settled in St. Louis Park where she has lived ever since. She graduated from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul with a bachelor’s in human resource management and services.  She is on track to complete graduate school at the end of this year at the University of St. Thomas where she is enrolled for a master’s in educational leadership and administration.

She listed her campaign priorities as public safety and community police relations, affordable housing and support for small business. These are already issues she says she has championed during her time on the Council and plans to continue doing so as mayor.

A case in point is her history of building relationships with the police department before she ran for office, through her work on the Multicultural Advisory Committee.

Mohamed believes her lived experience as an immigrant and renter shapes her approach to leadership and will be an asset in how she approaches her role as mayor.

“I bring an irreplaceable level of experience to my work as a representative,” she said.

Mohamed said she is concerned about disparities in the homeownership rates in St. Louis Park. She plans to work on the expansion of the First-Generation Home-Buyers Program and the Community Land Trust program, as well as zoning code reforms. As a council member, she said she successfully advocated for utilizing tax increment financing to ensure developers build affordable housing units.

She says her time on the council has given her a valuable lesson on how to make government work for all residents, lessons she plans to use as mayor if elected.

“One of the most profound lessons I’ve learned during this time is the intrinsic pace of government operations,” she said.

Understanding the slow but thorough process of government decisions, she has come to appreciate the importance of checks and balances in effective governance.

The $2.7 billion 14.5-mile Southwest LRT extension of the Green Line will connect downtown Minneapolis and Eden Prairie through St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minnetonka. Though under the purview of the Met Council, local elected officials where the line goes through get asked to weigh in with opinions on the controversial cost overruns of the project.

Mohamed on her part says while she is also concerned about the extension’s cost overruns, her bigger concern is gentrification the line might bring in a city where the owner-occupied housing unit rate of 58% is already below the state’s 72%.

“My main goal with this project is to ensure that it doesn’t lead to gentrification and that we have affordable housing surrounding it,” she said.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 7. You can register, check or update your registration at the Secretary of State’s website.

With the District 4 Bloomington City Council seat open after incumbent Patrick Martin decided against seeking reelection, Mr. Isaak Rooble, a businessman and past recipient of the “Community Leadership Award” at the 6^th annual African Awards, is running to represent the northeastern part of the city that includes the area that Mall of America sits on.

A native of Somalia, Rooble, 36, came to the U.S. in 2011. He and his wife and children have called Bloomington home for the last 10 years.  He has an associates degree in applied science from Rochester Community and Technical College.

Mr. Rooble spoke to Mshale after a recent Saturday door knocking exercise accompanied by outgoing two-term Councilmember Martin who has thrown his support behind him, as has the city’s mayor, Tim Busse who has been on the Council since 2011.

This is his first time running for elective office and a win in November will make him the first Somali to serve on the Bloomington City Council. The city is Minnesota’s fourth largest after Minneapolis, St. Paul and Rochester.

“I’m running to make Bloomington an even more attractive and stronger city,” Roble said. “As a community organizer and volunteer, I (have) tirelessly worked to make a positive impact on people’s lives and enhance their quality of life. My unique quality lies in bringing people together and setting a tone for good governance and leadership.”

The seven-member City Council, which includes the mayor, is up for election this year following redistricting. City voters will elect a mayor and six council members—one for each of the four districts, one at large and another two-year term at-large seat. Unlike the four district council members, at-large candidates are elected by voters citywide.

In 2021, the city implemented ranked choice voting for local elections following a charter amendment by city voters in 2020. The system eliminates the need for a primary election which allows for an unlimited number of eligible candidates to file and run for office.

“Our records show this is the first time in Bloomington’s history that the entire seven-person council has been on the ballot at the same time,” City Clerk Christina Scipioni said in a statement posted on the city’s website when candidate filing commenced on August 1. The filing period runs through August 15.

Those that follow him on social media know that Rooble likes sharing updates on what the city is up to, in terms of service delivery for those that might need them, although since campaigning got in high gear, campaign messages have also taken center stage.

His plans for the City Council however go beyond informing his fellow neighbors of what is going on.

“My governance starts from the bottom where I engage my neighbors and discuss issues and decisions that will impact the neighborhood and community at the neighborhood level. I’m not someone who will say decisions will be made at the city hall, I will bring those discussions to the community level environment, where voters and residents can understand what’s at stake and decide. Then, they can send us to city hall to make a final say on what they want and how they want things to be done.”

Rooble says his top priorities are public safety, small business, affordable housing and accessible city services. He believes being intentional in harnessing public input is key to making Bloomington a thriving city.

“In both my public and professional lives, I’ve been a positive, decisive and compassionate advocate  for our residents and small business,” attributes he says he will bring to the Council for the benefit of the city.

Rooble says what motivated him to run is the city’s “fast growing, diverse and vibrant community, and the many plans for our city,” the latter a reference to “Forward 2040,” the city’s comprehensive plan adopted in 2018 that guides development and public investments in city facilities and services such as parks, trails, fire stations, roads, sewer and water systems, and housing.

Rooble says he was disappointed when Bloomington lost the bid to host the 2027 World Expo but believes the loss provides the city with a great opportunity to explore other uses for the parcel around the Mall of America that was to be the site for the expo, referred to as the South Loop.

“We have a discussion going on about the South Loop already (and) once elected I am looking forward to bringing the community together on how we can use those resources to move the city forward for the benefit of our residents,” Rooble said.

Register to vote

Election Day is November 7.

While in Minnesota the law allows voters to register on election day at their voting location, registering in advance is highly recommended.

October 17 is the last day to register in advance as a voter.

Register in advance at this Secretary of State website.

Election Judges: The City of Bloomington is also looking for election judges and will provide paid training. Check required qualifications and apply at this city website.

It’s been six months since Zaynab Mohamed, Clare Oumou Verbeten, and Erin Maye Quade sailed to victory in Minnesota’s state senatorial elections, jointly making history as the first Black women to do so in the state’s 165-year existence. Having concluded their first legislative session in May, Mshale asked the senators to reflect on their experiences as new lawmakers.

“We came out of those chambers [after the swearings-in at the Capitol] and saw hundreds of people who had been waiting many years for that moment,” Verbeten said.

The three senators all agreed that the new senate “looks more like Minnesota.” The state is home to around 400,000 residents who identify as Black or African American, 125,000 of whom were born in Africa, according to a study the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development published in 2020. As their population grows, more Minnesotans of African descent are increasingly venturing into politics, many of them successfully.

Mohamed and Verbeten, who are respectively descended from Somali and Senegalese immigrants, are the only women senators in this legislative term with recent ties to Africa. Quade, while not from a family of immigrants, doubly made history as one of the first Black women, and the first openly lesbian senator in the state’s history.

Before they could even process the magnitude of their victories, the three senators had to hit the ground running, working on some of the most transformative pieces of legislation the state has ever seen. Notably, Mohamed, who represents District 63, was the chief sponsor of the “Driver’s License for All” bill, which allowed immigrants in Minnesota to obtain state-issued driver’s licenses. It was signed into law in March. In a session she described as “exciting, hopeful, and transformational,” the Somali American legislator said she has enjoyed watching the fruits of her labor manifest so far.

“Watching all the ideas I was able to present change lives has been one of my proudest moments [in the senate] thus far,” she said.

And Verbeten supported and advocated for Minnesota’s largest-ever infrastructure bill, which allocated $2.6 billion for the repair of roads and bridges across the state. The bill will  funnel millions of dollars into her district, she said.

“It’s high time Minneapolis and St. Paul get the resources to build their communities,” Verbeten said.

As her colleagues pushed for their respective bills, Quade was making strides in education. One of the laws she fiercely defended was the “Minnesota Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act” (READ Act), which Gov. Tim Walz signed in May to ensure grade-level reading for all Minnesota students. She also pushed for reproductive rights and rights for pregnant and nursing mothers. As a mother, Quade said issues pertaining to children and families resonate with her. In the next legislative session, she said she would like to see a bill that guarantees insurance coverage for fertility services.

“It’s a huge family equity issue that I would like to address in my remaining time in office,” Quade said.

But walking the halls of power hasn’t spared the three lawmakers from challenges. Being the first Black women in their positions has left them feeling like “the guinea pigs” and heaped on them the burden of representing their race. Minnesota’s senate has historically been predominantly white, so the senators said they must remember to advocate for themselves as they advocate for the people in their respective districts.

“The Capitol is not a space that’s designed for people who look like me, and that’s been a huge challenge for me,” Mohamed said.

Fortunately, the senators said they have each other, and therefore have not had to face the struggles alone. Mohamed said she had formed a sisterhood with her fellow Black women senators that helped her navigate hardships. Quade and Verbeten echoed her, with the former sharing that they all “talk every day,” and the latter adding that having her office adjacent to Mohamed’s made it easier for them to connect. Verbeten added that she has a group photo of herself with Mohamed, and Quade in her office.

“I can only imagine the Black legislators who came in here alone,” Verbeten said. “We’re so fortunate to have each other.”

The senators all said they learned more about themselves through the highs and lows of their new roles, with a common theme being that they were stronger than they initially thought they were. Quade, for instance, spoke about having to defend a bill while her daughter was in the pediatric intensive care unit. She said she became stronger as she simultaneously navigated her first session and first-time motherhood.

“There were so many times I missed my baby, but I learned to persevere and rely on my peers for support when I needed to,” Quade said.

The trailblazing senators imparted words of wisdom for those in underrepresented communities who aspire to be in their positions in the future. Quade advised them not to fall into the trap of believing that one must wait for an arbitrary level of professional success before pursuing political dreams.

“We often tell ourselves we need to be credentialed in a certain way, and we don’t,” Quade said. “Our legislative body is made up of citizens. You don’t have to have experience being a lawyer, city council person, or mayor before you decide you want to create change.”

Mohamed and Verbeten agreed, adding that having unique identities can make campaigning an uphill battle. However, they said she believed the unique experience of belonging to an underrepresented group is one trait that prepared them for their success.

“People will always underestimate you, but never dim your light,” Mohamed said.

The moment when state Senator Bobby Joe Champion was sworn in as president of the Minnesota Senate on January 3, 2023 was historic, as he became the first Black person to assume the role in the state senate’s 165-year history.

The Minnesota Senate is the largest upper house of any state legislature in the country. His election as president came at a time of great prosperity for the state with a record budget surplus. It is common for Black people to be given opportunities to lead hallowed institutions when those institutions are in crisis or facing a severe downturn, a situation referred to as “glass cliff,” but rare for them to be given leadership roles in times of prosperity.

His ascendancy also came when the DFL controlled both houses at the legislature and the governorship (trifecta) for the first time since 2012. All constitutional offices (governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state auditor, and secretary of state), are also held by Democrats.

Sen. Champion early this week sat down for an interview with Mshale in the side of downtown Minneapolis that he represents in the senate.

The affable Sen. Champion says he is proud of the accomplishments he and his DFL colleagues achieved in the first session of the 93^rd  Legislature that concluded on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend, and that he looks forward to building on that record when the second session  reconvenes in February.

“It was a great session for all of Minnesota and especially those historically marginalized,” the Minneapolis Democrat said. “We passed Restore the Vote, a monumental bill restoring voting rights for over 55,000 fellow Minnesotans who are no longer incarcerated but living among us and contributing to society. We also passed the Jobs and Economic Development budget bill that will support folks all across our great state no matter their zip code, whether they are in the metro or greater Minnesota. We made critical investments in childcare, workforce and economic development so we can build an economy that works for all Minnesotans. You know what? That Jobs and Economic Development bill also had the PROMISE Act which is a bill that I have been carrying for a while that will make our state more equitable for marginalized communities.”

The Jobs and Economic Development bill that Sen. Champion was referencing is a $1.37 billion investment in state spending that he was chief author of that focuses on bolstering workforce development and workplace safety across industries. Sen. Champion also pointed out that the bill Gov. Walz signed into law also includes over $350 million as a state match to compete for over a billion dollars in federal and private investment.

“We are moving our state toward exciting and innovative growth in our economy by approaching industrial policy with a strong focus on bringing new-generation technology into our state. We are positioning Minnesota to lead the nation in semiconductor innovation and bio industrial manufacturing,” said Sen. Champion.

“It’s a very time intensive job and there is nothing part-time about it,” he said when he was asked what he’d learned in the few months as senate president. “I had to do triple duty while our majority leader worked remotely as she recuperated as well as be president, and of course also fulfill my role as senator for my constituents.”

Three months into the legislative session in March, Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic revealed she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and underwent successful surgery. Sen. Champion and Sen. John Marty of Roseville took over the in-person legislative work required. Sen. Dziedzic returned to the Senate floor on May 2, just three weeks to the end of session.

“It was not easy while she was gone but she did a great job remotely and we did what had to be done,” he said. “Sometimes there is no script, as life can throw you a curve ball, but we delivered for the people of Minnesota.”

“That required working with folks from the opposing party to deliver for Minnesotans,” he continued. “Many of the folks opposing Restore the Vote for example would acknowledge privately that it would benefit many of their own constituents in rural Minnesota. If you look at the $1.37 billion jobs and economic development bill, there is money there for every part of the state, so people would oppose it but I don’t think they are going to argue that it does not benefit those they represent, we are making investments for the future competitiveness of the state and you do that when you have a surplus like we had, by building for the future.”

Sen. Champion also said he was happy to be around to see the state elect Black women to the state Senate. Minnesota which had never elected a Black woman to serve in the state Senate, shattered that glass ceiling by electing three in one swoop in November, with one of them, Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, becoming the youngest woman ever to serve in that role.

He was full of praise for the trio of Black women senators, describing them as “hardworking and dedicated.” Sen. Champion said Sen. Mohamed approached him and offered to work on the difficult and challenging “Driver’s License for All” that Sen. Champion had chief authored.

“This was not an easy bill as you know it was a heavy lift but she (Sen. Mohamed) was willing to put in the work,” he said. “I was very impressed by that and I let her help me lead it through the Senate. This was a bill that was supported by law enforcement and a lot of folks in local government like the mayors throughout the state but had opposition from the other party. Well, it took many years but we passed the bill as you know and it will improve public safety across our state. Our Black women senators are off to a bright future representing their constituents, don’t forget one of them Sen. Oumou Verbeten co-authored the CROWN Act that the governor signed into law which bans racial discrimination based on natural hair and Sen. Maye Quade was co-author of the legislation that will now see the provision of free school lunch and breakfast to every student. They are working hard.”

The Senate president also touted the passage of legislation that the governor signed into law that makes Juneteenth a state holiday. In less than two weeks the state will commemorate the first Juneteenth as a state holiday.

“Great nations do not ignore their most painful moments, they face them. We took an important step as a state by deciding to make Juneteenth a state holiday so we can face the pain and suffering caused by the legacy of slavery and segregation. It acknowledges our nation’s struggle and recognizes the importance of forging our future together,” Sen. Champion said.

As the first Black Senate president, he said “I recognize the importance of the moment and I stand on the shoulders of many who sacrificed their lives so I can be in this position.”

Other issues that came up during the interview included the small number of Black legislators which the Senate president said needs to increase to better reflect the state’s demographics. The House and Senate combined has 10 Black legislators.

Sen. Champion was born in and raised in Minneapolis. He was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2008 where he served two terms and was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2012 where he has served since. Trailblazing legislation such as Restore the Vote and Juneteenth is not the first time he has taken on thorny societal issues.  Prior to becoming Senate president, Sen. Champion had earned accolades for one of his signature pieces of legislation, “Ban the Box” which went into effect on January 1, 2014. Ban the Box prevents most private employers from asking job applicants on their application if they have been previously convicted of a felony.

“We are here to work for all Minnesotans, no matter where you live, rich or poor,” Sen. Champion said.

DENVER (AP) — An independent candidate defeated a longtime Republican office holder to become the first elected Black mayor in Colorado Springs, Colorado’s second-largest city with a history of being a conservative stronghold.

The victory on Tuesday May 16  of Yemi Mobolade, a Nigerian immigrant and entrepreneur who has never held elected office before, is the latest political setback for Republicans in a state that was once a battleground state. But that doesn’t mean a shift to the left.

Mobolade, who picked up the endorsements of some prominent Republicans, focused on issues like hiring more police officers, creating affordable housing, conserving water and cutting red tape for businesses.

He said people he met while campaigning are interested in solutions to everyday problems that respond to their needs, not partisanship, and do not want special interest groups having too much influence.

“That same hunger is not only in Colorado Springs but it’s across the country,” Mobolade told The Associated Press on Wednesday. He has compared the political divisions and tribalism that plagued his homeland to those he now sees hurting the United States.

Mobolade, a father of three young children who is married to a nurse, moved to the city of nearly 485,000 residents known for its military bases and being a hub of evangelical Christianity to start a church just over a decade ago and went on to co-found a cafe and restaurant, according to his campaign website. He also worked in city government in posts promoting economic development and helping small businesses.

According to unofficial results posted Wednesday, Mobolade garnered 57.5% of the vote to beat former Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams, a Republican, in the officially non-partisan election. The election results will not be finalized until later this month after overseas and military ballots are counted.

But Williams, who has also served as a city councilor, county clerk and county commissioner, conceded the race Tuesday night. He urged the city council members who were attending his election party to work with Mobolade “to continue the progress we’ve been making.”

Mobolade will succeed John Suthers, Colorado’s former attorney general.

He will be the first mayor who is not a member of the Republican party to become mayor since the city started electing mayors 45 years ago, according to The Gazette. A Black man, Leon Young, who had been appointed vice mayor previously served as interim mayor after the elected mayor retired early, the newspaper reported.

The city’s population has been growing both larger and more diverse, with more than one-third of residents being nonwhite. After five people were killed at a gay club that was a sanctuary for the LBGTQ community last year, officials were careful to provide the preferred pronouns of the victims and unfurled a giant rainbow flag in front of city hall.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on Wednesday said she will support President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, after the president announced on Tuesday that he is running for a second term.

“This is a very dangerous moment for our country and the president (Biden) that is leading us has done a great job and we need to coalesce behind him,” Omar told MSNBC’s Alex Wagner.

In a Thursday morning statement from her campaign staff following the MSNBC appearance, Omar emphasized the president’s visit earlier this month to her district to celebrate the major accomplishments the Democrats’ slim majority has brought about, and the dangers a return of Trump to the White House poses to the country.

“President Joe Biden’s visit to Fridley in my District this month underscored all that we have accomplished as Democrats in the past two years—the biggest investments in clean energy in history, hundreds of thousands of new jobs in Minnesota and millions of dollars invested in community projects directly in the Fifth District. It is for these reasons and more that I plan to support our Democratic President for reelection,” the congresswoman said. “We are facing a direct threat to our existence as a democracy from Donald Trump and his fellow MAGA Republicans and we need a united front to combat it. I will continue to push for progressive change on issues like student debt, child hunger, immigration, and foreign policy.”

Mr. Biden made his reelection bid official with an early Tuesday morning video, launching by saying “When I ran for President four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America and we still are. The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer. I know what I want the answer to be. This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for reelection.”

During his visit to Rep. Omar’s district earlier this month, Biden said of Omar “You never stop working to level the playing field for everybody.”

In the 2020 presidential election in Minnesota, where the state led the nation in voter turnout at almost 80%, Mr. Biden beat Mr. Trump by 7 percentage points.