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Election 2023
Hibah Ansari

St. Louis Park elects Minnesota’s first Somali mayor — Nadia Mohamed

A woman wearing a headscarf reacts with a smile
Nadia Mohamed celebrates with supporters and campaign staff after she is elected Mayor of St. Louis Park on Tuesday.
Aaron Nesheim for Sahan Journal

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This story comes to you from Sahan Journal through a partnership with MPR News.

St. Louis Park voters elected Nadia Mohamed as the city’s first Black, first Somali, and first Muslim mayor Tuesday night.

Mohamed is also the youngest person ever elected to the west metro suburb’s top public office in the city’s 170-year history. Mohamed , 26, previously served on the St. Louis Park City Council. She was elected in 2019 as the council’s first Somali, first Muslim, and youngest council member. 

Mohamed is also believed to be the first Somali mayor in Minnesota. In the lead up to Tuesday’s election, only one other Somali mayor had been identified in the country — Deqa Dhalac was elected mayor of South Portland, Maine, in 2021, becoming the country’s first Somali mayor. Deqa was selected by the city council, while Mohamed is now the first elected Somali mayor in the U.S.

“This is the second time I’m making history. What I had learned the first time is that this is just a milestone. It is not the destination,” she told Sahan Journal. “It’s amazing to accomplish all these ‘firsts’, but it is not where we want to stop our story.”

Mohamed received more than 58 percent of first-choice votes to best Dale Anderson, a retired banker and continuing education teacher who received 41 percent of first-choice votes. She will succeed Jake Spano, who announced in March that he would not seek reelection. Spano also endorsed Mohamed.

According to her campaign manager, Mohamed’s campaign knocked on 5,000 doors since she announced her candidacy in April.

Her family immigrated to St. Louis Park as refugees when she was 10 years old. She also previously worked as a diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. 

More than 100 people gathered at the Westwood Hills Nature Center for Mohamed’s election party. Supporters were excited to witness the potential election of the state’s first Somali mayor.

Kawsar Mohamed, 21, wasn’t previously interested in politics, but she grew up with Nadia and considers her a close family friend. “What drew me to her campaign and local politics is, she’s very passionate about her job,” Kawsar said. 

Marwo Elmi, 35, is not a St. Louis Park resident, but she is interested in local politics.

“She’s a young woman dedicated to helping others,” Marwo said. “She gives us hope that we can accomplish whatever we want—women can run for office, we can be mothers. She kind of encourages us.”

St. Louis Park is home to about 50,000 people, according to U.S. Census data. The population is mostly white, but residents of color have nearly doubled in the last two decades to 20 percent. Nearly 10 percent of the population in St. Louis Park is foreign born. The median household income is $87,639. 

Overcoming hurdles

St. Louis Park’s mayor serves as a city manager in charge of executive-level work. The mayor presides over the City Council, but does not have authority over council members. 

When Mohamed was elected to the council at 23 years old, she said residents were hesitant about her age and experience.

“Age doesn’t necessarily mean wisdom,” she said. “We need the younger generation like Gen Z and younger millennials coming out and being present in our civic duties and engagements — whether it’s voting, running for office, or putting your input at the city, at the local level, the state level, the federal level.”

Mohamed said she’s been able to combat concerns about her age through her accomplishments on the council. She helped establish an income-based grant program for first-generation homeowners, and hopes to expand that work as mayor.

She noted that as she spoke with voters over the course of her campaign, housing inaccessibility in St. Louis Park was a common concern. Nearly 58 percent of St. Louis Park residents are homeowners, compared to 72 percent of Minnesotans overall, according to Census data. 

“The big thing people are concerned about is the unaffordability of St. Louis Park homes. Even homeowners themselves are saying, ‘I can’t afford to live in this house right now,’” she said. “And you’ll see renters who are trying to buy their first home, but everything is expensive.”