This week’s edition covers stories
from October 30th to November 5th, 2025.
Today’s issue is 615 words, a 5-minute read
Hey folks, Isabella here.
If you thought Election Week was wild, wait ‘til you see the departure board. The federal government’s record-breaking shutdown has officially grounded 10% of flights at 40 major airports — because apparently the only thing flying these days is political dysfunction. Meanwhile, New Yorkers just elected Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, as their new mayor — meaning the city that never sleeps is now also dreaming of free buses, rent freezes, and universal childcare.
While planes are circling and passengers are panic-refreshing airline apps, democratic socialism is taking off faster than a delayed Delta jet. Across the Midwest, voters flexed civic muscle — Minnesota broke turnout records, St. Paul elected its first Hmong woman mayor, and Minneapolis doubled down on Frey for a third term. Democracy may be messy, but at least it’s still moving — even if the planes aren’t.
St. Paul: History made
1 big thing: St. Paul just elected its first Hmong woman mayor — Kaohly Vang Her — in a stunning late-cycle upset that changed the entire narrative of Election Night in the Metro.
Kaohly Vang Her — who didn’t even launch her campaign until August — defeated incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter in a ranked choice battle that came down to Round 2.
Her: a Laos-born refugee, finance pro, legislator, policy wonk + relentless door-knocker — becomes the first Hmong woman to ever lead the city.
Her campaign knocked ~40,000 doors.
Her family literally tag-teamed door-knocking goals weekly.
Why it matters: This isn’t just symbolic. This is deep community infrastructure showing up for itself. A Hmong woman mayor in Minnesota is a national historic milestone, but also a local signal: refugee communities here aren’t just voting — they’re governing.
What she says she’ll focus on:
- “core city functions” → access to food/health care
- protecting immigrant communities from federal impacts
- affordable housing + developer meetings immediately
- steady transition from Carter’s admin
Quote: “You have to go out and earn the rights to represent people.”
Minnesota might actually be the only state where Asian American & refugee leadership pipelines are scaling at this velocity on the municipal level.
Minneapolis: Frey survives — again
Mayor Jacob Frey wins a third term, beating State Sen. Omar Fateh after second-choice votes were counted.
Final tally: Frey 50% — Fateh 44%.
Frey dominated southwest Mpls + parts of North and downtown. Fateh won big in his Senate district, Cedar-Riverside + student zones near U of M.
Why this race still mattered even in Frey’s win:
Fateh shifted the Overton window — aggressively — on housing, public safety accountability and taxing wealth. His campaign forced those issues center table, not sidebar content.
Frey’s pitch: keep crime trending down, rents growing slower, homelessness declining. Frey also becomes the first time he’s ever cleared 50% in ranked choice.
The turnout story
Minneapolis broke turnout records again — 55% — one of the highest municipal turnouts in America. This is not normal nationally.
Voters + 1,900 election workers literally carried democracy on their backs.
The other MN races (because everything else still happened)
- State Senate SD47 special election: flips blue → Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger (DFL) wins, giving DFL 34-33 edge.
- SD29: GOP holds w/Michael Holmstrom Jr.
- Minneapolis City Council: progressive veto-proof bloc breaks.
- St Paul ballot Qs: civil administrative citations + school funding levy → both passed.
- Duluth Right to Repair passes. Hopkins voters approve four-year mayor term + even-year elections. Prior Lake voters reject $60M parks bond.
The bottom line
Minnesota politics is no longer just “blue progressive Midwest vibes.”
It’s now refugee communities rewriting the center of power, turnout that rivals presidential years, and ranked choice races forcing real ideological negotiation.
This is what democratic evolution looks like in real time — and the Twin Cities just gave the national map a preview.
Stay informed, stay connected.
See you next week!
–
Isabella and the NewPrensa team
Hi, friend: Mateo here!
I’m a Communications Specialist by day and feeling strong by night!
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