Friday September 6, 2024
By Mohamud Farah
Daisane is one of the first candidates of color endorsed by the DFL in central Minnesota, a region that has seen an influx of new immigrants in the last decade.
Minnesota House candidate Abdi Daisane, left, took a selfie with a supporter at a campaign event in July. Daisane is running for House District 14A, representing parts of St. Cloud, Waite Park and St. Augusta. Credit: Abdi Daisane
A central Minnesota House seat may be in play this year thanks to the region’s changing demographics — and a Somali American candidate who is working to boost voter turnout.
Business owner Abdi Daisane is the DFL-endorsed candidate for House District 14A, which covers parts of St. Cloud, Waite Park and St. Augusta. He’s one of the first people of color to receive the DFL endorsement in central Minnesota, party leaders say.
He is running against Republican incumbent Bernie Perryman, who won the seat by fewer than 200 votes in 2022.
Chantal Oechsle, vice chair of Senate District 14, said Daisane’s candidacy has energized the community and could help drive turnout. “He has an excellent opportunity to reach out to new residents who are often younger and from diverse backgrounds,” she said.
The party has picked up a state House and state Senate seat in recent years, as St. Cloud has seen an influx in new immigrants, many from East Africa.
District 14A has been under Republican control for more than a decade, and Daisane acknowledges that flipping the seat will be a challenge.
He has raised more than to $78,000 this year, outstripping Perryman’s $20,500. But Perryman started the year with $86,500 in her campaign fund.
Daisane said he is aware of the district’s deep-rooted partisan identity and the potential voter resistance. “There’s fear in seeing a Black, Muslim, immigrant candidate seeking to serve,” he said. “We’re in a ‘red’ district, and many voters might be resistant to voting for a DFL candidate regardless of qualifications or platform.”
Daisane is running on a platform focused on access to opportunity, including affordable housing, health care, child care and education.
“We need urgent improvements in these areas to better serve our community,” he said in a statement.
Perryman, the incumbent, said the key issues voters have raised with her include the rising cost of living, tax increases, and burdensome regulations on schools and small businesses.
“I plan to continue representing every resident in District 14A by reaching out to every community, spending time with them and learning about the issues that are most important to them,” she said.
Community roots
Daisane, 36, is one of six children born to Somali parents. He spent 18 years in a refugee camp in Kenya before immigrating to the U.S. through the United Nations’ refugee program in 2009. He first settled in Omaha, Nebraska, before moving to Minnesota in 2013 to attend St. Cloud State University. He has since earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and community development and a master’s in public administration from St. Cloud State.
Daisane’s wife, Ayaan Ahmed Aidid, is a poet known in the Somali community for her verses on love, inspiration and peace. Their blended family also includes a son from Daisane’s previous marriage.
Daisane first ran for St. Cloud City Council in 2016, securing 8,026 votes but ultimately falling short.
Immediately after the election, St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis appointed him to serve on the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, work that led him to emphasize affordable housing in his current campaign.
“Having a stable house is the foundation for success,” he said.
In the years after the election, Daisane launched a business, pursued a graduate degree, started a family and also served on the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals and the Downtown Revitalization Task Force.
He recently concluded a one-year stint as a Humphrey School of Public Affairs policy fellow.
University of Minnesota political science professor Larry Jacobs said Daisane is part of a “breakthrough generation” of Somalis running for public office, a group that includes Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and St. Louis Park Mayor Nadia Mohamed, among others.
“Minnesota Somalis are running for state, county, and local offices and winning, widening the voice of the community and their influence,” Jacobs said.
Fatuma Mohamed, a community activist in St. Cloud, praised Daisane’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he coordinated resources for struggling businesses.
She said Daisane is a role model for younger Somalis.
In addition to his political ambitions, Daisane runs Blooming Kids Child Care Center and Daisane Consulting Inc. in St. Cloud.
Operating a child care center in the aftermath of the pandemic presents some of the greatest challenges he has ever faced, Daisane said.
Blooming Kids has received several low-level correction orders from state inspectors, for lacking children’s immunization records, the qualified number of staff, or documentation of staff training, among other issues. All were resolved without further state action.
“Running a child care involves caring for our most precious — our children. I approach this responsibility with the utmost care, and seriousness every day. It’s also generally a challenging industry,” Daisane said.
“Our biggest challenge is staffing. Child care providers often face staff shortages due to the demanding nature of the job, low wages, and lack of benefits. This leads to high turnover rates as employees seek better-paying opportunities elsewhere, and makes the day-to-day operations of center-based child care very difficult.”
St. Cloud Times columnist Patrick Henry first met Daisane several years ago at a coffee shop in St. Cloud. Henry described Daisane as having a “big picture” view of a thriving community and a practical understanding of how to achieve that goal.
“Like Paul Wellstone, Daisane takes the hopes and needs of real people seriously,” Henry said. “His policies are grounded in the stories he’s heard and his own experiences of finding a better life, political freedom, and the opportunity to pursue happiness in Minnesota.”
Since launching his bid for state House, Daisane has campaigned several times with Senator Aric Putnam, DFL-St. Cloud, along with DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy.
His campaign has also drawn support from the AFL-CIO, Rural Caucus DFL, MAPE, and the Climate Cabinet. “The lesson I learned [from my first race] is that resilience and continuous service to the community are crucial,” Daisane said. “My 2016 race motivated me to achieve more for my community, and now I’m more prepared to make an even greater impact.”