Aisha Chughtai

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Aisha Siddida Chughtai (born September 4, 1997) is an American community organizer and politician who serves on the Minneapolis City Council representing Ward 10. Elected in 2021, she became the youngest person and the first Muslim woman on the council. She is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) and the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America.

Chughtai served as vice president of the council from 2024 to 2026 and then, in 2026, became the council’s majority leader after stepping down as vice president. She sits on most committees, chairs the Budget Committee, and is vice chair of the Committee of the Whole. She emphasizes community control over policing, rent protections tied to inflation, and climate-friendly, transit-oriented city planning.

Her background includes being raised by immigrant parents from Pakistan; her father was a mechanic and her mother a Quranic instructor. She grew up in Houston, experienced housing instability, and moved to Mankato, Minnesota during the 2008 financial crisis. She helped run campaigns, including Ilhan Omar’s 2018 campaign, and later worked as a political organizer for the SEIU Minnesota State Council.

Chughtai has prioritized affordable housing and strong labor protections, and identifies as a renter, noting that about 80% of Ward 10 residents rent. She lives in Minneapolis’s Whittier neighborhood to stay connected with constituents.

Election details and endorsements: Chughtai won the Ward 10 seat in 2021 with a slim first-round lead and a strong finish in the instant-runoff vote. She was reelected in 2023 and again in 2025. The 2023 ward convention involved controversy but she received the DFL endorsement in a virtual vote after violence at the convention. She was endorsed by abortion rights group Vote Pro-Choice and received support from labor unions and progressive groups. She faced opposition from some local business-oriented groups and rival campaigns.

Policy ideas she has promoted include expanding affordable housing, renter protections, and stronger local labor laws; investing in climate resilience, public transportation, and safer streets; and exploring controls on ride-hailing technology, such as considering a ban on robotaxis.