Somali Refugee Abdi Daisane Wins DFL Primary for Minnesota House Seat

Somali refugee and childcare entrepreneur Abdi Daisane captured the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nomination for the Minnesota House district that includes the college town of St. Cloud. A Humphrey Fellow who runs a licensed daycare and advises the Initiative Foundation, Daisane earned 92 percent of DFL delegate votes and has been celebrated by liberal organizations. Critics, however, point to multiple Department of Human Services citations alleging sanitation lapses, inadequate background checks, and insufficient infant supervision at his facility.

Daisane holds a bachelor’s in international relations and a master’s in public administration from St. Cloud State University and is a father of a five-year-old son. The primary outcome reflects the expanding political clout of the Somali community in Minnesota, while the daycare controversy raises questions about regulatory compliance for small businesses.