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A Somali-born Minnesota Democrat whose daycare received more than $7.2 MILLION in taxpayer-funded payments despite years of licensing violations has now won a seat in the STATE LEGISLATURE, after campaigning to expand government childcare assistance. Abdi Daisane defeated Republican Mike Conway in Minnesota House District 14A on November 3, flipping a previously Republican-held seat and becoming St. Cloud's first Somali American state lawmaker. Daisane owns Blooming Kids Child Care Center, a St. Cloud daycare that has received more than $7.29 million through Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program since 2018, according to records cited by Alpha News. But state inspection records reveal years of problems at the taxpayer-funded facility. The Minnesota Department of Human Services has cited Blooming Kids for repeated licensing violations, including failures to supervise children properly, hazardous objects accessible to children, inadequate staffing qualifications, unclean spaces, and violations involving employee background studies. An October 2024 inspection also found that children had been subjected to prohibited disciplinary actions. Additional inspections in 2025 documented problems with infant sleep requirements, CPR and first-aid training, and other childcare safety regulations. The state imposed a $400 fine for two background-study violations, including allowing an employee to continue working for months after a required background study expired. Earlier violations were reported as corrected, but subsequent inspections identified additional compliance failures. Meanwhile, Daisane made expanding childcare assistance part of his political platform. During his campaign, he called for expanding eligibility for government-funded childcare programs and increasing support for daycare providers. His own business is a recipient of the taxpayer-funded assistance he wants to expand. The daycare has also drawn attention amid broader investigations into Minnesota's childcare assistance programs. In October, Alpha News reported that a former employee of a neighboring business questioned the amount of activity at Blooming Kids, saying they rarely observed children entering or leaving the facility. Daisane previously ran for the same House seat in 2024 but lost to Republican Bernie Perryman. He returned in 2026 and won with approximately 52% of the vote. His election places a daycare operator with a documented history of licensing violations in a position to help shape Minnesota's childcare funding and oversight policies. Daisane has previously acknowledged problems at his facility, citing staffing challenges and efforts to correct violations. The case brings renewed attention to how Minnesota monitors publicly funded childcare providers and addresses repeated licensing deficiencies. #Minnesota #AbdiDaisane #Daycare