Abdi Daisane flips a St. Cloud house seat
... and becomes the first Somali American to represent central Minnesota at the state Capitol.
Republicans represented Minnesota House District 14A for as long as it has included western St. Cloud – nearly 25 years. On November 3, Abdi Daisane turned the seat blue and became the area's first Somali American representative heading to St. Paul.
Daisane's election came with a wave of Democratic wins in Minnesota and across the U.S. DFLers took the state House and Senate and kept the governor's seat.
Daisane first ran for office in 2016 – a St. Cloud City Council seat. In 2024 he challenged 14A Republican Rep. Bernie Perryman and lost with 43%. Perryman ran for state Senate this year, opening 14A to a contest between Daisane and St. Cloud City Council President Mike Conway, the Republican candidate. Daisane won with nearly 52%.
Daisane talked about building a coalition within and beyond the Somali American community at a forum held by Project Optimist and St. Cloud Somali Community Radio in October 2025. "There’s a need for representation. So when you see Somalis rallying around individuals that look like them, it’s not coming from somewhere bad. It’s coming from the need for representation, the need for seeing someone who looks like them, who is representing the community," Daisane said.
The state canvassing board is scheduled to certify the election results on November 19. The 2027 legislative session begins January 12.
Becca Most edited this story. Nora Hertel fact-checked it.