Daisane Wins Minnesota House Seat as Daycare Funding Draws Scrutiny

Daisane won about 51% of the vote, making him the first Somali-born Minnesota legislator from the St. Cloud region. He had spent years in a Kenyan refugee camp and was making his second run for public office. In his victory speech, he spoke partly in Somali and said persistence had helped his campaign connect with more voters.

Voters Choose Daisane as His Daycare Business Faces Scrutiny

St. Cloud voters chose Abdi Daisane to represent House District 14A, giving him about 51% of the vote and defeating a Republican incumbent. The Democrat, who spent years in a Kenyan refugee camp, is Minnesota’s first state legislator of Somali birth from the St. Cloud region. He spoke partly in Somali during his victory speech and said his campaign reached more people by knocking on doors and talking with them.

Daisane’s role as CEO of Blooming Kids Child Care Center has prompted questions about public funding. The center has received $7.29 million through Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program since 2018 and $598,251.62 through the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program since 2020.

The center’s sponsor for the federal food program, Partners in Nutrition, agreed to an $18.5 million civil settlement over allegations that it defrauded Minnesota of federal child nutrition funds. The center was not named in the settlement. It has also been cited for more than a dozen licensing violations, including concerns about hazards, hygiene and staffing.

Those facts warrant scrutiny, but the settlement does not establish that Daisane or his center committed fraud. Turning a sponsor’s settlement and licensing citations into a verdict against a newly elected Somali American lawmaker risks replacing evidence with suspicion. Daisane defeated the incumbent as voters chose change; the available facts do not erase that choice.

Daisane’s Election Puts Minnesota Daycare Funding Under a Spotlight

Abdi Daisane’s victory in House District 14A has put questions about Minnesota’s oversight of taxpayer-funded childcare programs squarely in view. He defeated a Republican incumbent with about 51% of the vote and became the first Somali-born Minnesota legislator from the St. Cloud region.

Daisane is CEO of Blooming Kids Child Care Center, which has received $7.29 million from the state’s Child Care Assistance Program since 2018. Since 2020, it has also received $598,251.62 through a federal meal program serving children and adults. Partners in Nutrition, the center’s sponsor for that program, agreed to an $18.5 million civil settlement over allegations it defrauded Minnesota of federal child nutrition funds.

The center was not named in that settlement, and the settlement does not establish wrongdoing by Daisane. But the center has been cited for more than a dozen licensing violations, including reported concerns about hazards, hygiene and staffing. Those details make close attention to public programs reasonable, not a reason to wave away questions as mere political hostility.

Daisane’s election does not settle the concerns surrounding program oversight. The public deserves clear accountability for taxpayer-funded programs, while any claims about the center or its owner should be grounded in evidence rather than assumed from the sponsor’s case.