Minneapolis Council Member Katie Cashman — one of the more progressive council members — failed to win the Minneapolis DFL party’s endorsement during Saturday’s Ward 7 convention.
Minneapolis Park Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer won the endorsement with nearly 61% of the vote. Shaffer has been endorsed by All of Mpls, a more moderate group aligned with Mayor Jacob Frey.
All 13 City Council seats and the mayor will be on the ballot in November. While the endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party doesn’t carry any legal weight, the party nod is much sought after in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.
But candidates have won without it, such as Council Member Andrea Jenkins’ victory over her DFL-endorsed opponent in 2023. And that same year, Cashman was elected in a race where no candidate won the DFL endorsement.
Shaffer said she was “honored and humbled” to be endorsed.
“I take this endorsement quite seriously,” she said in a press release. “Ward 7 DFLers have made it clear: We deserve a responsive Minneapolis City Council member who will be a voice for all of Ward 7.”
Shaffer was elected park commissioner of District 4 (which includes almost all of Ward 7) in 2021, defeating the incumbent with almost two-thirds of the vote. She has said Minneapolis is at a critical inflection point, and she will prioritize core city services and public safety, fiscal responsibility, responsiveness to local concerns, and pragmatic policies promoting economic development.
Cashman said in a statement that despite corporate and special interests “buying an endorsement” through political action committees like All of Mpls and We Love Minneapolis, she will continue her campaign supported by grassroots organizers and small-dollar donors.
