ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — Nadia Mohamed made history Tuesday night.
The 27-year-old St. Louis Park City Councilmember defeated retired banker Dale A. Anderson to become the first Somali American to be elected as mayor in the U.S.
Mohamed was surrounded by dozens of her supporters at the Westwood Hills Nature Center when the announcement was made.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we just did that," Mohamed said before a cheering crowd.
Mohamed is no stranger to making history after St. Louis Park elected her the first Somali Muslim woman to their city council.
"I am deeply honored and humbled by your support and the faith that you have placed in me," Mohamed said Tuesday. "This election is, of course, a momentous one as we already know, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to lead our great city."
Mohamed won with 58% of the vote, defeating Anderson, who got 41% of the vote. She had served on the City Council since she was elected at age 23 in 2019.
Deqa Dhalac of South Portland, Maine, was the first Somali American to serve as mayor of an American city, but she was selected by that city’s six-member council in 2021, not elected by the voters.
Mohamed campaigned in support of investing in community policing and programs to make homeownership more affordable. Mayor Jake Spano did not seek re-election, and he endorsed Mohamed.
Mohamed spoke Tuesday night about her mother’s journey to settle in St. Louis Park, giving her the confidence to enter politics at a young age.
“I have watched a courageous woman handle her business every day,” Mohamed said. “That courage comes easy to me now.”
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.