Abdi Daisane, a Somali-born daycare owner whose business received millions in state taxpayer funding and was associated with a nonprofit at the center of an $18.5 million fraud settlement, has won a seat in the Minnesota legislature. Daisane, who runs the Blooming Kids Child Care Center in St. Cloud, defeated Republican Mike Conway, president of the St. Cloud City Council, to capture Minnesota's House District 14A with approximately 52% of the vote in Tuesday's midterm elections.
His victory marks him as the first Somali-born state lawmaker from St. Cloud and flips a seat that had been held by Republicans for over two decades. The election drew attention due to the significant government funding his childcare business has received, including through programs administered by an organization that recently agreed to a substantial fraud settlement.
Blooming Kids Child Care Center has reportedly collected $7.29 million through Minnesota's state-run Child Care Assistance Program since 2018, and nearly $600,000 through the federally funded Child and Adult Care Food Program since 2020. The latter payments were sponsored by Partners in Nutrition, a nonprofit that agreed to an $18.5 million civil settlement with Minnesota authorities in September. The nonprofit was accused of submitting false claims for meals that were never provided.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stated that Partners in Nutrition had "knowingly defrauded the State of Minnesota out of millions of dollars in federal child nutrition funds." The nonprofit agreed to surrender its remaining funds, cooperate with investigators, and permanently dissolve. However, Blooming Kids was not named as a defendant in the settlement, and no finding has been established that Daisane or his daycare participated in the fraud. Investigations involving other organizations and individuals connected to the nonprofit are ongoing.
Questions have also been raised about the operations of Daisane's childcare facility. An investigation by Alpha News reported that a worker at a neighboring business could not recall seeing children enter or leave the daycare. The outlet also reported that Blooming Kids had accumulated more than a dozen licensing violations concerning staff supervision, training, medical documentation, and cleanliness, with further citations issued in October, though some earlier violations were subsequently resolved.
Daisane, 38, was born in Somalia and spent part of his childhood in a refugee camp before moving to the U.S. in 2009. He later settled in St. Cloud, attended St. Cloud State University, and established his childcare business. During his campaign, he emphasized affordable housing, education, economic opportunities, and government accountability, including combating fraud.