St. Cloud, Minnesota – In a historic win Tuesday night, Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) candidate Abdi Daisane defeated the Republican incumbent to capture House District 14A, becoming the first Somali‑born legislator from St. Cloud.
Background and funding scrutiny
Daisane, who delivered part of his victory remarks in Somali, is also the chief executive of Blooming Kids Child Care Center. Since 2018, the center has received $7.29 million from the state‑run Child Care Assistance Program, and $598,251.62 from the federally funded Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) since 2020.
The CACFP funding was administered through a nonprofit, Partners in Nutrition, which recently settled an $18.5 million civil fraud case for defrauding Minnesota of federal child‑nutrition dollars. The settlement press release states the organization “knowingly defrauded the State of Minnesota out of millions of dollars in federal child nutrition funds during and after the COVID‑19 pandemic.”
Local observations and violations
Fox News Digital visited the Blooming Kids facility on Thursday and noted a quiet downtown location with a modest parking lot and a fenced playground. The center has been cited for more than a dozen violations, according to local reporting.
Immigration questions and online backlash
Online discussion intensified after a video surfaced of Daisane’s wife, Ayaan Aydid, describing her crossing of the southern border to the BBC. Critics on social media, including conservative commentator Eric Daugherty and activist Matt Brodsky, expressed strong opposition, with some calling for the state to be “ceded to Canada.”
ACT for America founder Bridgette Gabriel flagged the election and the alleged immigration status of Daisane’s spouse to the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Markwayne Mullin, describing it as a “great opportunity to do something about this.”
Election significance
Daisane’s victory reflects a growing Somali community presence in central Minnesota politics, while also highlighting concerns over public‑funding oversight and immigration narratives. The DFL celebrated the win as a step toward broader representation, whereas opponents framed the result as a warning about funding and immigration vetting.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
