Muslim lawmaker Daisane says St. Cloud win sends message of belonging

Abdi Daisane, a Muslim elected to the Minnesota House, said Thursday that his win sent a message about belonging in St. Cloud. He is Central Minnesota's first Somali American state legislator.

Daisane, 38, won House District 14A with 52% of the vote, the Star Tribune reported. He said the victory carried added meaning because he is Somali American, Muslim, Black and an immigrant, identities he said politicians had campaigned against.

He described the result as a statement rejecting division and refusing to define belonging by a person's religion or place of birth. The district covers parts of St. Cloud and neighboring St. Joseph, Waite Park and St. Augusta.

Born during Somalia's civil war, Daisane spent 18 years in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the United States. He moved to St. Cloud in 2013, studied at St. Cloud State University and later opened a child care business and worked with other entrepreneurs. Daisane previously ran for the same seat in 2024. His election is a first for the Central Minnesota region, not for Minnesota as a whole.

Source: Jenny Berg, The Minnesota Star Tribune, November 6, 2026. The Minnesota Star Tribune