The 2023 Minneapolis City Council election took place in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States on November 7, 2023. The Minneapolis City Council is made up of 13 members, with one council member representing each of the city's 13 wards. Typically, council members serve four year terms, but due to census redistricting, the 2021 and 2023 elections were for two-year terms. The 2023 election was the first to elect members to redrawn districts and the first election since the city's form of government moved to an Executive Mayor-Legislative Council structure. The change was prompted after voters narrowly approved a ballot measure in 2021 to shift certain powers from the city council to the mayor. Topics surrounding public safety, affordable housing, rent control, and racial justice were at the forefront of the campaign.
All incumbents were re-elected. The closest race was in ward 8, where incumbent council president Andrea Jenkins defeated her challenger Soren Stevenson by just 38 votes. Despite this narrow victory, a coalition of progressive members managed to secure a majority with seven of the thirteen seats. This coalition, powered by a combination of local Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) support and the allied PAC Mpls for the Many, achieved success despite being financially outpaced by groups like All for Mpls who supported mayor Jacob Frey. Despite their majority, progressives are two votes short of overriding a veto by Frey. Discussions on rent control remain stalled, police reform is under scrutiny amidst a state consent decree, and homelessness remains a pressing concern.
In 2021, Minneapolis voters expressed their desire for rent control measures, yet as of 2023, the city council has yet to finalize a policy. The issue hit a standstill when an advance rent control measure failed, largely due to the absence of council members during Eid al-Adha. Mayor Frey was opposed to the proposed bill, which aimed to cap rent increases at 3%.
Homelessness and homelessness encampments remain a concern in Minneapolis. Advocacy groups are calling for more humane policies and interventions. Activists are urging the city council to prioritize the provision of shelters, stop encampment evictions, and increase funding for homelessness resources.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) endorsement conventions in several Minneapolis wards were marred by allegations of irregularities and chaos. The convention for Ward 5 was canceled due to allegations of fraudulent delegates, while the convention for Ward 10 descended into a melee when supporters of candidate Nasri Warsame disrupted the event. In Ward 6, candidate Kayseh Magan challenged 126 delegates supporting Tiger Worku, alleging incorrect addresses, misspelled names, and unverified signatures. Magan claimed that many of Worku's delegates did not consent to be delegates or signed up with ProtonMail email addresses. The State DFL Executive Committee met and adopted new bylaws granting the party more authority to ban individuals involved in violence and disruptive acts, and subsequently used these new rules to ban Nasri Warsame from seeking DFL endorsement. These actions were subsequently ratified by the larger State Central Committee to take full effect. DFL endorsements hold significant value in the heavily Democratic city of Minneapolis.
The 13 members of the City Council are elected from single-member districts via instant-runoff voting, commonly known as ranked choice voting. Voters have the option of ranking up to three candidates in order of preference. Municipal elections in Minnesota are officially nonpartisan, although candidates are able to identify with a political party on the ballot. Write-in candidates must file a request with the Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services Division for votes for them to be counted.
The 1st ward is based in northeast Minneapolis, stretching from the neighborhoods of Waite Park and Columbia Park down to Como. The incumbent is Democrat Elliott Payne, who was elected with 52.5% of the vote in 2021. Payne ran for re-election.
The 2nd ward contains the neighborhoods of Cooper, Prospect Park, and University District, as well as portions of Seward and Cedar-Riverside. The incumbent is independent Robin Wonsley, who was elected with 50.1% of the vote in 2021. Wonsley ran for re-election.
The 3rd ward contains the neighborhoods of Marcy-Holmes and St. Anthony as well as Nicollet Island and Downtown Minneapolis. The incumbent is Democrat Michael Rainville, who was elected with 55.0% of the vote in 2021. Rainville ran for re-election.
The 4th ward contains the neighborhoods of Jordan and Victory. The incumbent is Democrat LaTrisha Vetaw, who was elected with 60.6% of the vote in 2021. Vetaw ran for re-election.
The 5th ward contains the neighborhoods of Harrison, Near North, Hawthorne, and North Loop. The incumbent is Democrat Jeremiah Ellison, who was re-elected with 51.1% of the vote in 2021. Ellison ran for re-election.
The 6th ward contains the neighborhoods of Philips West, and Ventura Village, as well as portions of Seward, Stevens Square-Loring Heights, Cedar-Riverside, and Elliot Park. The incumbent is Democrat Jamal Osman, who was re-elected with 59.4% of the vote in 2021. Osman ran for re-election.
The 7th ward contains the neighborhoods of Bryn Mawr, Cedar-Isles-Dean, Downtown West, East Isles, Kenwood, Loring Park, and Lowry Hill, as well as portions of Stevens Square-Loring Heights and Elliot Park. The incumbent is Democrat Lisa Goodman, who was re-elected with 61.9% of the vote in 2021. Goodman did not seek re-election.
The 8th ward contains the neighborhoods of Kingfield, Lyndale, Northrop, and Regina. The incumbent is Democrat Andrea Jenkins, the current council president, who was re-elected with 84.9% of the vote in 2021. Jenkins ran for re-election.
The 9th ward contains the neighborhoods of Corcoran, East Phillips, Longfellow, Midtown Phillips, and Powderhorn Park. The incumbent is Democrat Jason Chavez, who was elected with 56.9% of the vote in 2021. Chavez ran for re-election.
The 10th ward contains the neighborhoods of East Bde Maka Ska, Lowry Hill East, South Uptown, and Whittier, as well as a portion of East Harriet. The incumbent is Democrat Aisha Chughtai, who was elected with 60.0% of the vote in 2021. Chughtai ran for re-election.
The 11th ward contains the neighborhoods of Diamond Lake, Hale, Page, Northrop, Tangletown, Wenonah, and Windom, as well as a portion of Keewaydin. The incumbent is Democrat Emily Koski, who was elected with 58.3% of the vote in 2021. Koski ran for re-election.
The 12th ward contains the neighborhoods of Cooper, Ericsson, Hiawatha, Howe, Minnehaha, Morris Park, and Standish, as well as a portion of Keewaydin. The incumbent is Democrat Andrew Johnson, who was re-elected with 64.8% of the vote in 2021. Johnson did not seek re-election.
The 13th ward contains the neighborhoods of Armatage, Fulton, Kenny, Linden Hills, Lynnhurst, and West Maka Ska, as well as a portion of East Harriet. The incumbent is Democrat Linea Palmisano, who was re-elected with 66.2% of the vote in 2021. Palmisano ran for re-election.