Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was reelected to a second term this week in a race many called a bitter challenge because it was centered around policing and racial justice. 

Frey led the city when a police officer, Derek Chauvin, murdered an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, causing weeks of unrest and rioting around the city last year. Floyd’s death deeply impacted this election including a wide variety of opinions on addressing public safety. 

Related: Democrat Shontel Brown Wins Ohio House Seat in Special Election

According to The New York Times, Minneapolis became the center of a national conversation on whether or not to defund the police and invest in new options for responding to emergencies. Critics wanted to abolish the police department altogether with the veto-proof majority of the City Council quickly pledging to abolish the department. Frey opposed that suggestion, and instead recommended a reallocation of funds to add mental health experts to assist or handle incidents involving the mentally disabled. 

“We’ve got to stop this pendulum from swinging violently back and forth between defund and abolish the police on one side, and do nothing, status quo on the other,” Frey said according to the Times. 

According to the Associated Press, 17 candidates ran in the race with many taking issue with the way Frey handled changes to the police department since Floyd’s death.  

Related: Deal on National Police Reform ‘Out of Reach’ as Negotiations End

Frey also put his political career at risk and sparked the anger of the city’s most liberal voices by opposing a ballot question regarding the abolishment of the department. 

The proposal was struck down by voters on Tuesday. 

Frey accredited his victory to his assembling of a diverse coalition with support from across Minneapolis, primarily Black people in the north side of the city. Frey recognized the “backbone” of his support came from the Black population along with the Somali and Latino communities.