Why do you think Keith Ellison and Ilhan Omar endorsed Andrea Jenkins over the DFL-endorsed Soren Stevenson? It’s surprising because they have both benefited from DFL endorsement as did Soren Stevenson in this campaign. He lost by only 38 votes.
Jenkins’ opponent Soren Stevenson refused to meet with the Star Tribune editorial board. That seemed true with several DSA-endorsed candidates – a mistake for all of them. Probably the assumption was that the Star Tribune would not endorse DSA candidates. Jenkins also probably benefited from buying a full-page ad in Southside Pride and major presence on the website.
Another mistake Stevenson made was that he could have suggested ranking Terry White second. White received over 500 votes. He had a fairly progressive campaign statement and was the second African American candidate in Ward 8. The 8th Ward has a large African American community. If only 10% of White’s supporters were pleased with Stevenson’s suggestion, Stevenson would have won the election.
Phil Willkie
