This article is the fourth in a series called “Swing-District Spotlight” in which Alpha News examines competitive state legislative seats across Minnesota.
A St. Cloud businessman who lived in a refugee camp for 18 years is running for a hotly contested seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Abdi Daisane, the DFL candidate for House District 14A, is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Bernie Perryman, R-St. Cloud, in November’s election.
In 2022, Perryman won election to the seat by just 199 votes, or 1.39%. Considering a change in only four seats could hand the House majority to the GOP, the battle for Perryman’s seat will be a top priority for political operatives from both sides of the aisle.
Perryman’s challenger, Abdi Daisane, is making his second bid for elected office, having lost an election for St. Cloud City Council in 2016.
In 2021, the St. Cloud Times did a profile of Daisane which said the businessman feels “a personal responsibility to other Central Minnesotans from East Africa, in part because of his own move to the U.S. from a refugee camp.” A Somali refugee who lived in a Kenyan refugee camp for 18 years, Daisane has started a childcare business and a nonprofit to help low-income people attend college since moving to St. Cloud in 2013.
“My dad always used to tell me, if you go to a new place, and you sleep that night in that community, you are part of that community,” Daisane told the St. Cloud Times. “For me, for example, (if) I come to Kenya, you’ll find me reading the newspaper tomorrow morning because I want to hear what’s happening. … Because I am sleeping there tonight, I feel I am part of the community.”
Daisane lists affordable housing, investing in education, supporting small business, climate justice, healthcare, reproductive rights, and public safety as his prospective legislative priorities. Interestingly, he counts himself as “a supporter of the Second Amendment” who believes “that law-abiding citizens should have access to firearms for self-defense and sporting purposes,” a position not often expected from a Democrat seeking public office.
However, Daisane’s other political positions, such as his desire to “safeguard and uphold a woman’s right to make choices regarding her reproductive health,” are more aligned with the modern, left-wing DFL platform.
Among Daisane’s business ventures is a St. Cloud childcare center called Blooming Kids Child Care Center. Founded by Daisane in 2017, the childcare center has been the subject of numerous violation notices by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS).
During repeated licensing reviews conducted in 2021, 2022, and 2023, Blooming Kids Child Care was cited for multiple violations. Some of the violations from those years include “The correct number of qualified staff were not present,” “Staff orientation training did not include all required items,” “Children did not have daily access to all interest areas,” “Equipment and furniture were not in good repair,” “Areas used by children were not in good repair,” “the program’s space was not clean,” and “Documentation was not available to show that a teacher met qualifications.”
Additionally, a 2021 “Maltreatment Investigation” into Blooming Kids Child Care Center found that “Children’s files did not contain immunization documentation,” and “Children’s files did not contain physical exam documentation.”
According to information from DHS, all the violations from both the “Maltreatment Investigation” and the multiple licensing reviews were corrected.
Separately, records indicate that Daisane was taken to court by the city of St. Cloud in May 2022 for failure to pay upwards of $1100 in citations. The case was settled a few months later; the court documents do not explain what the citations stemmed from.
Alpha News reached out to Daisane for comment but never received a response to multiple requests.
Conversely, Perryman spoke with Alpha News about her legislative priorities and efforts to hold the district in 2024.
Discussing her reelection campaign, Perryman told Alpha News that the closeness of the last election is something she has contemplated often, and that she plans to “wear out my shoe leather” knocking on doors and getting to know her constituents’ concerns.
In addition to her time in office, Perryman cited her significant experience in business and involvement in St. Cloud’s community as elements that make her eminently qualified to represent the district. The Republican legislator has served as Chair of the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce, Commissioner for the St. Cloud City Economic Development Authority, and a board member for the Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation.
Among her priorities, Perryman wants to cut taxes for Minnesota families who have been “struggling as a result of record high gas prices and inflation.” Additionally, the first-term legislator is campaigning on a platform to help small businesses, support law enforcement, and champion education standards focused on “math, reading, writing, and science–not politics.”
On the subject of Daisane’s DHS violations, Perryman told Alpha News that she preferred to “mind my own bother” but stated that the irresponsible way in which the DFL has governed is sufficient reason for Daisane to not represent District 14A.
Evan Poellinger
Evan Poellinger, the Alpha News Summer 2024 Journalism Fellow, is a native Minnesotan with a lifelong passion for history and politics. He previously worked as a journalism intern with the American Spectator and an investigative journalism fellow with the Media Research Center. He is a graduate of College of the Holy Cross with degrees in political science and history.
