Hopkins mayoral candidate Abderazak Ali is making his first run for office in an effort powered almost entirely by volunteers.
His campaign, funded by $200 from his own pocket, is a long shot, he cheerfully admits. But the filmmaker and former refugee has lived a life full of long shots, including a harrowing journey by boat to Yemen and stints in three of North Africa’s largest refugee camps.
“I’m running on a platform that tackles everyday issues affecting all Hopkins residents,” Ali said in an interview with Sahan Journal. “Winning is not guaranteed. But I’m stepping up not to challenge the current mayor, but to give my community a second choice.”
If his self-funded campaign succeeds, Ali could become the second Somali mayor in the diversifying Twin Cities suburbs. In 2023, Nadia Mohamed was elected the first Somali and Muslim mayor of St. Louis Park.
Ali, 40, said he is focused on everyday issues that affect his neighbors, including the shortage of affordable housing, public safety, streets that require better lighting, the arrival of a new light-rail line and an overhaul of the city’s outdated parks.
He’s running against incumbent Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon, business owner Lynn Bialick and retiree Robert Ivers for the seat.
Hanlon is the only one of the four who had filed a campaign finance report with the city. He reported raising $10,015 between June and October. Candidates who raise or spend more than $750 must file the reports.
A storyteller with purpose
From his home in Hopkins, Ali runs his own media business, including a YouTube channel with a talk show called Somaliyey Maqal, which has 62,200 subscribers, and a Facebook page with 49,000 followers.
His connection between storytelling and community began early.
Ali left Somalia as a teenager for Yemen by boat, aiming to reach Europe. However, the trip was cut short after the boat broke down, leaving 179 people on board stranded mid-sea for eight days. Many of the people lost their lives before rescue teams arrived at the scene.
He then spent more than 15 years in North African refugee camps in Yemen, Sudan and Tunisia, according to his campaign biography.
A 2011 clip by a Time magazine video producer captured his first week at Choucha Refugee Camp in the desert of southern Tunisia, where Ali wrote, directed and produced a musical drama about his life to entertain the thousands of refugees at the camp.
After arriving in the U.S. in 2012, Ali first resettled in Boise, Idaho, then moved to California to attend Los Angeles City College to earn an associate degree in film production.
His ties to Minnesota go back to 2013; he moved to Hopkins in 2018.
Over the past three years, Ali has volunteered as the head of community engagement with People in Action, a St. Paul nonprofit that provides art, education and job resources to communities that lack access to opportunities.
Ayanle Farah, art director for People in Action, said he has been collaborating with Ali through art and film production since 2017 and considers him a future leader.
“He is friendly, fearless, and most importantly, a people’s person,” Ayanle said.
Ali said his long-running interest in politics and local issues led him to throw his hat in the ring for the mayoral race. His campaign team consists of 17 people who regularly volunteer and many others who only come when they can.
“My campaign team and I went door to door to reach as many residents as possible, where our visits turned into conversations, as I listened to my neighbors discuss their needs and concerns,” he said.
He said he is not raising any funds for his campaign since it’s run by volunteers. “For an election of this scope, the expenses are very low, so I decided to cover whatever I need out of pocket.”
Campaign headwinds
Like other Muslim candidates in Minnesota, including state Sen. Omar Fatah, who is running for Minneapolis mayor, Ali said he also sees the negative rhetoric and headwinds Muslim candidates face.
Hopkins mayoral candidate Robert Ivers was arrested and charged in September for threatening to kill a federal judge after a staff member at the Wayzata Library saw him printing out a 236-page manifesto threatening to murder a federal judge.
Ali said he heard rumors that Ivers had threatened to “eliminate” him before the election, but he didn’t have any specific evidence to share.
Despite the challenges, Ali remained optimistic about his chances in Tuesday’s election.
“Once voters realize that I’m an independent, unaffiliated with any party, and solely dedicated to the well-being of Hopkins residents, I believe voters will see that the issues we face impact us all equally,” he said.
