A Democratic candidate whose childcare business received millions in state funds while linked to a massive fraud settlement has flipped a Minnesota House seat, ousting a Republican incumbent in a surprise midterm victory.
Abdi Daisane, CEO of Blooming Kids Child Care Center in St. Cloud, won Minnesota’s House District 14A as a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) candidate. His center has collected over $7 million from Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program in recent years, according to Fox News reporting cited by Breitbart.
Fraud Settlement Ties
Daisane’s business also received $598,251 from the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) since 2020. Those funds flowed through Partners in Nutrition, a nonprofit that recently paid an $18.5 million civil settlement after allegedly defrauding Minnesota of millions in federal child nutrition funds during the pandemic.
The Minnesota Attorney General’s office stated the nonprofit “knowingly defrauded the State of Minnesota out of millions of dollars” in violation of state false claims laws. The settlement followed April raids on more than 20 Minneapolis locations as authorities investigated suspected fraud in Somali-run businesses.
Election Controversies
Daisane delivered much of his victory speech in Somali, according to reports. Questions have also emerged about his wife’s immigration status after she reportedly spoke openly about entering the U.S. illegally during the Biden administration.
The race unfolded alongside broader election integrity concerns in Minnesota. A recently surfaced video showed a local official telling Somali residents they could vote without being registered, prompting scrutiny from conservative watchdogs.
Fox News visited Daisane’s childcare center last week, describing the building as quiet with a mostly empty parking lot. The newly elected representative has not publicly addressed the fraud settlement ties or immigration questions since his victory.
Source: www.breitbart.com โ https://www.breitbart.com/midterm-election/2026/11/06/fraud-linked-democrat-somali-daycare-owner-flips-seat-minnesota-legislature/