Nadia Mohamed has secured victory in the mayoral race for St. Louis Park, Minnesota, making her the city’s first female Black mayor in 170 years.
Mohamed’s victory not only designates her as the first Somali American mayor in Minnesota but also secures her place as the second identified Somali mayor in the history of the United States.
As reported by Africa News, the 27-year-old secured a decisive victory with 58% of the vote, surpassing her opponent, retired banker Dale A. Anderson.
Reacting to her victory, Mohamed said, ‘As mayor, I want to make sure people see themselves reflected in our policies.’
Former mayor, Jake Spano said, ‘One thing I’ve learned over the years is that to do the job of mayor, you have to love people, love solving problems and believe in the people in your community to do good things. Councilmember Mohamed and I agree on this.’
Her family emigrated to Kenya after the Somali Civil War and she lived in the Kakuma refugee camp until she was 10 years old.
Mohamed’s journey to the US began at the age of 10 when she and her family moved as refugees, ultimately finding a residence in St. Louis Park.
Mohamed, with a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources from Metropolitan State University, was honored with the city’s Human Rights Award in 2018 for her impactful community work in St. Louis Park.
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Making history in 2019 at the age of 23, Mohamed was elected as the city council’s youngest-ever and first Muslim member.
The Star Tribune described her 2023 mayoral campaign as focused on “Investment in community policing and programs to make homeownership more affordable.”
The outgoing mayor, Spano, threw his support behind Mohamed before the November 7, 2023 election, leading to her triumph over Anderson in the municipal polls.
Mohamed tailored her campaign strategy to address the needs of a city with an 80% white population, emphasizing goals like increasing homeownership and implementing community policing.