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Progressives hold majority on Minneapolis City Council, lose power to override vetoes

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Published  November 5, 2025 9:44pm CST
Minneapolis City Council
FOX 9
The new makeup of the Minneapolis City Council

The new makeup of the Minneapolis City Council

FOX 9's Mike Manzoni breaks down the new Minneapolis City Council post-election.

The Brief

    • The progressive block of the Minneapolis City Council retained its majority in Tuesday’s election.
    • But the progressive coalition lost its veto-proof supermajority, a power it has wielded over the last two years.
    • The loss of the council’s ability to override mayoral vetoes will give Mayor Frey more latitude in his third term.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The progressive wing of the Minneapolis City Council will keep its majority but lose its ability to override the mayor’s vetoes in its next term. The political makeup of the incoming council will likely allow Mayor Jacob Frey to avoid the kind of pushback on his power that shaped the last two years.

Mayor Frey will start 3rd term without threat of veto-proof supermajority

What we know:

The progressive arm of the Minneapolis City Council lost a seat on Tuesday night when incumbent Katie Cashman lost her reelection bid in Ward 7 to newcomer and moderate Elizabeth Shaffer.

READ MORE: Minneapolis election results: Minneapolis City Council

The loss of a progressive voice leaves that wing of the council without the ability to override a mayoral veto.

Council clashed with mayor, sometimes overrode vetoes

The backstory:

The progressive faction of the council took control after the 2023 election and occasionally found two additional votes to get the nine needed to override a mayoral veto. It wielded that power against the mayor nearly a half-dozen times since then, including in February 2024 to override a veto of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war; in March 2024 to override a veto of a measure to raise the minimum wage of rideshare drivers; in October 2024 to override a veto on carbon emissions fees; in December 2024 to override a veto on a $1.9 billion budget; and in February to override a veto of a proposal to study a pedestrian mall at George Floyd Square.

What they're saying:

"The other part that we’re really focused on is trying to get consensus around public safety. It’s a really complicated issue, from support for law enforcement, a humanitarian response to homelessness and some of the addiction issues, livability issues that we have in our city," said Adam Duininck, Minneapolis Downtown Council CEO. "The [Minneapolis] Downtown Council and the D.I.D. [Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District] respond to these issues as well as anybody, and trying to forge that consensus will hopefully be easier with the new city council."

What's next:

The incoming council members will be sworn into office in January. It will be the first council in nearly a decade to serve a four-year term.

Minneapolis City CouncilMinneapolisElection