Abdi Warsame facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Abdi Warsame
Member of the Minneapolis City Council from the 6th Ward
In office January 2, 2014 – March 30, 2020
Preceded by	Robert Lilligren
Succeeded by	Jamal Osman
Personal details
Born	(1978-03-05) March 5, 1978 (age 47) Mogadishu, Somalia
Political party	Democratic
Children	4
Residences	Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma mater	Middlesex University (BS) University of Greenwich (MBA)

Abdi Warsame (born in 1978) is a Somali-American politician. He is part of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party in Minnesota. After moving to London for safety, he came to Minnesota in 2006. In November 2013, he was elected to the Minneapolis City Council. This made him the first Somali-American person elected to that position. Warsame was reelected for a second term in 2017. He left his council job in 2020 to become the head of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority.

Early Life and Education

Abdi Warsame was born on March 5, 1978, in Mogadishu, Somalia. In the late 1980s, his family moved to London for safety.

Warsame studied business at Middlesex University, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He also has a master's degree in International Business from the University of Greenwich. In 2006, Warsame moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Career in Politics

Starting in Politics

Warsame first got involved in politics in 2011. He worked on Mohamud Noor's campaign for a state Senate seat.

Warsame also started a group called the Citizen's Committee for Fair Redistricting. This group helped make sure voting districts in Minneapolis were drawn fairly. They worked to ensure that the votes of the East African community counted as much as possible. The city agreed and created new voting areas in Ward 6.

Warsame also led community groups. He chaired the Cedar Riverside-Neighborhood Revitalization Program. He was also the executive director of the Riverside Plaza Tenants Association. This group helps people who live in Riverside Plaza.

2013 Election

Warsame's victory speech in 2013

Warsame ran in the 2013 Minneapolis city elections. He wanted to represent Ward 6 on the Minneapolis City Council.

Many Somali-American professionals helped with his election campaign. Warsame's campaign raised a lot of money, more than many other candidates.

His campaign faced some criticism from his opponent's team. They claimed some of Warsame's supporters tried to unfairly influence voters. There were also claims that some supporters took advantage of language differences to get votes. Warsame said these claims were not true. He added that he told his team not to use unfair tactics. A committee from his political party also looked into the claims and did not find them to be true.

Before the election, a political group produced fliers that criticized Warsame's opponent. The fliers asked people to vote for Warsame instead. Warsame's campaign quickly said that they had nothing to do with these fliers. They stated that the group acted on its own.

On November 5, 2013, Warsame was elected to the Minneapolis City Council. He won in Ward 6, which has many East African residents. He was the first choice for 64% of voters. His victory made him the first Somali-American to hold this position. Warsame and Ahmed M. Hassan (who was elected in Georgia on the same day) were the first Somali-Americans elected to city offices in the United States. Warsame's election helped many Somali-Americans in Minneapolis get more involved in voting.

Warsame was reelected in 2017. He won by a small number of votes. In early 2020, he was chosen to lead the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. He left his City Council job on March 30, 2020, to take on this new role. He is the first Somali person to lead a public agency in Minnesota. Jamal Osman was elected in August to take Warsame's old seat on the council.

Personal Life

Warsame is married and has four children. He lives in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. This area is home to the largest group of Somalis outside of East Africa.

Electoral History