‘Minnesota is cooked’: Somali daycare owner linked to $18.5M fraud settlement wins House race

Abdi Daisane, a Somali-born Democrat, has won Minnesota’s House District 14A race, flipping a Republican-held seat and sparking a political storm over his daycare business, Blooming Kids Child Care Center. The Minnesota lawmaker-elect is facing scrutiny over millions in state childcare assistance and federal food-program funding received by his daycare, which was sponsored by Partners in Nutrition, a nonprofit that agreed to an $18.5 million civil fraud settlement. Daisane’s election victory has triggered fierce reactions on social media, with conservative commentators questioning Minnesota’s political direction as concerns over alleged daycare fraud, taxpayer money and government oversight intensify.