Cashman Loses Ward 7 After a Single Term as Renter Turnout Falls Short

Katie Cashman lost her bid for a second term representing Ward 7 on the Minneapolis City Council in the Nov. 4, 2025 election, defeated by challenger Elizabeth Shaffer. Shaffer won with 6,709 first-choice votes (52.1%) to Cashman's 5,909 (49.9%), a margin of about 800 votes. Cashman had taken office Jan. 1, 2024, a single two-year term in a seat covering Lowry Hill, the Wedge, East Isles, Cedar-Isles-Dean, Bryn Mawr, Kenwood and the downtown core.

Minneapolis incumbents rarely lose, which made the result one of the marquee outcomes of the citywide election. Cashman had been part of the council's progressive majority and an ally of the bloc that overrode Mayor Jacob Frey's veto to pass the 2025 budget. Her defeat helped end that bloc's veto-proof supermajority.

Shaffer, a sitting Park and Recreation Board commissioner, entered with citywide name recognition and a fundraising edge — she raised $248,400 to Cashman's $119,400, more than any other council candidate — and won the DFL endorsement over the incumbent earlier in the cycle. She was backed by the Frey-aligned committee All of Mpls, which spent about $92,000 supporting her.

Cashman had argued the ward looked moderate only because its renter-heavy precincts in the Wedge, downtown, Loring Park and Stevens Square historically turned out at low rates, and that mobilizing them would hold the seat. Turnout did climb sharply in those precincts, but under the city's ranked-choice system it was not enough: when later preferences were redistributed, Shaffer came out ahead.

For Ward 7 residents, the result means a change of office and staff. Casework that ran through Cashman's office — street lights, permits, zoning questions, complaints — now routes through Shaffer's. Council committee meetings and the full council's Thursday sessions remain open to the public, and residents can reach the Ward 7 office through the city's 311 service and minneapolismn.gov.