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Omar Fateh

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Omar Fateh
Fateh in the Minnesota Senate chambers in 2021
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 62nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 5, 2021
Preceded byJeff Hayden
Personal details
Born (1990-04-19) April 19, 1990 (age 34)
Washington, D.C.
Political partyDemocratic (DFL)
ResidenceMinneapolis, Minnesota
Alma materGeorge Mason University
OccupationLegislator

Omar Mahmood Fateh (/ˈfɑːteɪ/ FAH-tay;[1] Somali: Cumar Faatax; born April 19, 1990) is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), he represents District 62, which includes parts of south Minneapolis in Hennepin County. Fateh is the first Somali American and Muslim to serve in the Minnesota Senate.[2]

Early life and education

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Fateh was born in Washington, D.C., and is the son of immigrants from Somalia. He graduated from Falls Church High School and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from George Mason University.[3]

Minnesota Senate

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Fateh was an unsuccessful candidate for District 62A of the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018. In 2020, he announced a primary challenge to incumbent Senator Jeff Hayden. A self-declared democratic socialist, Fateh received support from groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America and the Sunrise Movement.[4] He also received the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's endorsement.[5] Fateh defeated Hayden in the August primary, 54% to 45%,[6] and was elected to the Minnesota Senate with 88.99% of the vote in the general election.[7]

First Senate term

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Fateh was sworn into the Minnesota legislature on Jan 5, 2021. During his first term, the Senate was under Republican control, while the DFL controlled the House and governor's office.[8] Fateh authored 54 bills during the 2021-22 session, including a bill to exempt fentanyl test strips from being considered drug paraphernalia, which was passed and signed into law despite the divided government.[9] In January 2023, the Star Tribune reported that since legalization, community organizations and nonprofits have given away more than 100,000 strips, and cited evidence from surveys demonstrating that the use of the strips changed user behavior, including that 89% of users "took overdose-prevention measures once they discovered fentanyl".[10]

Political accomplishments

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In 2022, Fateh defeated a challenger in the August 9 DFL primary, winning every precinct.[11] He then defeated Republican nominee Andrew Schmitz in the November general election with over 90% of the vote.[12] In 2022, Democrats won a "trifecta", taking control of the Senate, House, and governor's office.[13] Fateh was appointed chair of the Senate Higher Education committee and vice-chair of the Senate Human Services Committee.[14]

Fateh's higher education bill included tuition-free public colleges and universities and tribal colleges for students from families whose income is less than $80,000 a year.[15] It also included an increase to Hunger Free Campus grants,[16] emergency assistance grants.[17]

Fateh was chief author in the Senate of a bill to provide minimum wages and worker protections for drivers for rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft. The Minnesota Uber and Lyft Drivers Association (MULDA) supported the bill. It had bipartisan support, and passed the House and Senate, but was vetoed by Governor Walz. The veto sparked outrage from MULDA drivers, union groups, and progressive activists nationwide.[18]

Investigations

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Since Fateh took office, local media have reported his ties to two controversies. The first occurred when it was revealed that Feeding Our Future and its subsidiaries were stealing money from federal nutrition programs. When the scandal broke, Fateh condemned the fraudulent activities and returned $11,000 in contributions from cultural restaurant owners and employees connected to Feeding Our Future programs.[19]

The second incident stemmed from a State Senate Ethics investigation. Fateh failed to disclose $1,000 his campaign paid to Somali TV Minnesota, which he corrected once he was made aware of the mistake. A second complaint was related to the perjury conviction of Muse Mohamed, Fateh's brother-in-law and a volunteer on his 2020 campaign. A federal jury convicted Muse in May of lying to a federal grand jury about his handling of three absentee ballots for Fateh's campaign.[20] The Republican-led ethics committee unanimously dismissed all the allegations against Fateh except for the undisclosed advertising expense, which was deemed outside the ethics committee's scope and referred to the campaign finance board.[21]

Personal life

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Fateh lives in Minneapolis's Phillips neighborhood.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Senate Members' Pronunciation". Minnesota Legislature. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  2. ^ Jackson, Zoe (January 1, 2021). "New state senator's Socialist ambitions will face reality at Minnesota State Capitol". Star Tribune.
  3. ^ "Legislators Past and Present - Legislator Record - Fateh, Omar". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
  4. ^ Peters, Joey (August 11, 2020). "Progressive challenger Omar Fateh defeats longtime State Senator Jeff Hayden in Minnesota's Democratic primary". Sahan Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  5. ^ Peters, Joey (May 7, 2020). "Two newcomers oust DFL veterans to win party endorsement for Minnesota legislature". Sahan Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  6. ^ Gotlieb, Nate (August 12, 2020). "Ilhan Omar wins big; Fateh ousts Hayden". Southwest Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  7. ^ ""Results for State Senator District 62"". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  8. ^ "Caucus Chart - Minnesota Legislature". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  9. ^ "SF 1724 Status in the Senate for the 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022)". www.revisor.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  10. ^ Tribune, Chris Serres Star. "As fatal overdoses surge, demand for fentanyl test strips grows in Minnesota". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  11. ^ "Index - Election Results". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  12. ^ "Index - Election Results". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  13. ^ "Minnesota Democrats win Capitol 'trifecta'". MPR News. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  14. ^ "MN State Senate". www.senate.mn. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  15. ^ Tribune, Ryan Faircloth Star. "Higher ed deal includes free college for Minnesota families who make under $80K". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  16. ^ "Hunger Free Campus | LeadMN". www.leadmn.org. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  17. ^ "Home – MN Licensing and Registration". mnsas.ohe.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  18. ^ Browning, Kellen (2023-05-21). "Minnesota Passes Bill Seeking to Ensure Minimum Wage for Gig Workers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  19. ^ "Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh returns campaign funds from those tied to food aid probe". February 2022.
  20. ^ "Senator Omar Fateh ordered to undergo campaign finance training". 13 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Senators throw out most Fateh ethics complaints". kare11.com. July 28, 2022. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  22. ^ "Join the Movement". Omar Fateh for MN Senate 62.
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