MPLS Election Results: Andrea Jenkins Narrowly Defeats Soren Stevenson

MINNEAPOLIS — Andrea Jenkins is the unofficial winner of the Ward 8 Minneapolis City Council race, city election officials announced Wednesday.

Jenkins defeated socialist and DFL-endorsed Soren Stevenson by only 38 votes, 3,894 to 3,856.

Jenkins, the first transgender member of the Minneapolis City Council, won her seat in 2017.

But she is seen by some activists as too centrist and part of the establishment. Jenkins is a key ally to Mayor Jacob Frey, who is less progressive than most current city council members.

And in an upset this spring, party loyalists decided to give the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement to Jenkins' chief opponent — Stevenson — instead of her.

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"Today's results are not what we worked hard for," Jenkins said in a statement May 11. "I will continue to fight for equity, transparency and progress for the people of Ward 8 and be your champion and voice for a stronger Minneapolis."

Even without the DFL's backing, Jenkins could boast several endorsements from high-profile Democrats including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.

As for achievements while in office, Jenkins claims credit for the following projects:

• Helped secure funding to develop a 48-unit senior housing development at Sabathani Community Center.
• Authored an ordinance creating the "community commission" on police oversight
• Securing $17.5 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and $5.5 million for the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority.
• Helped secure funding for the D-Line, a bus rapid transit infrastructure project.
• Helped secure $2 million for violence prevention and de-escalation training for officers.
• Worked with community members to provide resources for George Floyd Square and 38th Street businesses

Jenkins' top opponent in Stevenson is seen as more liberal and boasts backing from the Twin Cities chapter of the DSA.

Stevenson — who was blinded in one eye by Minneapolis police during protests over the murder of George Floyd — is in favor of remaking the city's public safety departments. His positions include improving the city's behavioral crisis response unit, creating a domestic violence response team, and authorizing "overdose prevention centers."