Abdi Daisane, the owner of a Somali daycare center that has faced scrutiny over state and federal funding and is linked to a significant fraud settlement, won a seat in the Minnesota legislature on Tuesday. Daisane defeated a Republican incumbent to secure the Minnesota House District 14A seat in St. Cloud.
Daisane, a candidate for the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, is the CEO of Blooming Kids Child Care Center in St. Cloud. Since 2018, the center has received $7.29 million from the state-run Child Care Assistance Program. Additionally, it received $598,251.62 from the federally-funded Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) since 2020. A nonprofit named Partners in Nutrition, which recently paid an $18.5 million civil settlement for fraud, served as the center's sponsor for CACFP funds.
According to a press release from the settlement, Partners in Nutrition "knowingly defrauded the State of Minnesota out of millions of dollars in federal child nutrition funds during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, in violation of the Minnesota False Claims Act."
Alpha News reported in late October on the funding, noting that a nearby worker claimed to have never seen children entering or exiting the facility. The outlet also reported that Blooming Kids Child Care Center had been cited for over a dozen violations.
Questions have also circulated online regarding the immigration status of Daisane's wife, Ayaan Aydid, after a video surfaced detailing her crossing into the United States at the southern border. Daisane did not respond to requests for comment.
Daisane's victory prompted swift backlash on social media, with critics expressing dismay over the outcome. One user posted, "We are a lost state. We should cede it to Canada."