Somali daycare owner wins DFL House primary as state violations continue to pile up

A Somali refugee turned St. Cloud businessman whose childcare center has racked up years of state licensing violations is now one step closer to the Minnesota Legislature. Abdi Daisane won last week’s Democratic primary with 62.5% of the vote, advancing to the November general election against Republican Mike Conway in House District 14A. Daisane, who was born in Somalia and spent time in a Kenyan refugee camp before entering the United States, has owned Blooming Kids Child Care Center in St. Cloud since 2017. Alpha News first reported on the center’s history of violations in July 2024, when Daisane was...