We are proud to endorse State Senator Omar Fateh for Minneapolis Mayor.

Sen. Fateh’s housing platform centers the material needs of the most marginalized renters in the City of Minneapolis. He is an unapologetic advocate for rent stabilization, Just Cause eviction protections, Tenant Opportunity to Purchase, building and maintaining public housing, and exploring opportunities to expand social housing in Minnesota.

Minneapolis deserves a Mayor who understands our housing system reflects a history of land theft, displacement, and destruction of BIPOC communities – a Mayor who will be accountable to working-class renters most harmed by this system, not landlords, property owners and developers.

We also need a leader who rejects Mayor Frey’s expensive practice of criminalization in response to homelessness, and commits to compassionate approaches to encampments that center public health and human dignity. Sen. Fateh has stated he will advance a public health approach to encampments, ensuring residents have access to life-saving infrastructure like hand-washing stations, portable bathrooms, running water, safe needle disposal programs, and storage for personal belongings – while working diligently to reduce rental evictions, and build and operate low-barrier shelters that homeless residents WANT to live in while working toward housing.

Soren is a champion for tenant protections including Just Cause eviction protections, allowing tenants to terminate leases without penalty upon loss of income or if a minor is added to the family, and prohibiting listing minors in eviction cases. He will fight for rent stabilization, and has committed to negotiating with other City Council members on a strong policy that has the backing of a veto-proof majority. Soren also supports tenant unions, stating that he will prioritize clear lines of communication with tenants unions and renter organizations, and consult with our members on the development of policy that impacts renters.

Soren knows the greatest threat to renters in Minneapolis is the power of large, for-profit landlords, who are not held accountable by the City for their negligent behavior and poor management of their properties. He knows that these landlords fund and endorse City Council candidates who are opposed to rent stabilization and renter protections. To address these issues, Soren has committed to holding office hours and town halls dedicated to renters’ issues in different Wards across the city. This will help the City Council identify and document landlords who are breaking the law, ensure that renters are educated about their rights, and empower renters to organize and work together. 

“I support Soren because he's standing with us against injustice. He lost his eye for supporting others. He promises to help us, and we appreciate his efforts. He's going to fight, and this is evident in the fact that this is his second time running. Corporations receive benefits and build luxury buildings. We're going down in worse conditions. It's time we unite and raise our voices to achieve affordable housing.” — Hilda Chavera, IX4TP Tenant Leader, Ward 8

By November 4, vote SOREN STEVENSON for Ward 8!

We proudly endorse City Council Member Jason Chavez to represent Ward 9. CM Chavez has clearly stated that “the Frey administration’s policy of evicting encampments with no plan beyond moving people on to the next one has been a failure.” He authored a budget amendment that provides resources for an adequate public health approach to encampments, alongside other policies and budget items, including increased shelter funding, expanding the Stable Homes Stable Schools program and an encampment removal reporting ordinance.

“Jason Chávez understands the needs of our communities. He's working to achieve equality for all. He works to improve our quality of life with visions that include social housing and rent control.” — Alibella Rodriguez, IX4TP Tenant Leader, Ward 9

CM Chavez supports social housing, and authored a budget amendment for a study to learn how the City could support the development of social housing. In addition, CM Chavez led the campaign to extend the pre-eviction notice from 14 to 30 days, giving renters more time to access rental assistance programs or resolve issues with their landlord before a formal eviction is placed on their record.

Now, he is working on an ordinance to mandate that landlords inform applicants and tenants of their rights related to application denials and evictions, along with resources for assistance, and supports Just Cause eviction protections. CM Chavez has authored a number of renter protections, meant to prevent homelessness before it occurs.

By November 4, vote JASON CHAVEZ for Ward 9!

We are thrilled to endorse Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai to represent Ward 10 – a community that is 80% renters. CVP Chughtai has been a tireless advocate for renters in her ward, particularly those who are organizing through tenant unions to demand better housing conditions.

CVP Chughtai is also a champion of rent stabilization and the previous lead author of this policy. She supports a strong rent stabilization policy, with a 3% annual cap on rent hikes and vacancy control (which means rent stabilization applies to the unit and not the tenant), and will fight to create a strong rent board to oversee implementation and compliance.

CVP Chughtai has been a leading voice in demanding an end to the current Mayoral administration’s punitive approach to encampments. CVP Chughtai doesn’t just talk – she shows up to support people experiencing homelessness and working-class renters most harmed by a housing system in which landlords, developers and real estate lobbyists have far too much power.

In her leadership role, she has overseen several City Council actions to protect and advance renters rights, including: banning the use of algorithms for setting the price of rent, mandating notification of renters’ rights in leases, extending pre-eviction notice from 14 days to 30 days, increasing investment in rental relocation assistance, and passing a Community Opportunity to Purchase policy (known as Affordable Housing Preservation Ordinance).  

On November 4, vote AISHA CHUGHTAI for Ward 10!

Renters for Political Transformation is proud to endorse Ethrophic (E.) Burnett in Ward 5.

With a background working in housing policy and advocacy, E. is a believer not only in the importance of offering relief within a broken system, but organizing to CHANGE that system.

E. knows the greatest threat to renters in Minneapolis is unchecked landlord power and skyrocketing rents. That’s why she has committed to being an unapologetic champion for rent stabilization, and will pursue a policy that caps annual rent increases at 3% while building a regulatory board to monitor compliance, resolves disputes, and ensure fairness for renters. She will double down on efforts to reduce displacement by fighting to reinstate the eviction moratorium, and expand access to legal aid and financial assistance.

Vote Ethrophic Burnett for Ward 5 by Nov. 4th - early voting starts this Friday, Sept. 19th!