Republican incumbent Bernie Perryman prevailed over St. Cloud business owner Abdi Daisane to hold onto a central Minnesota House seat Tuesday night.
With 100% of precincts counted, Perryman had 56% of the vote to Daisane’s 43%. She won the seat by fewer than 200 votes two years ago.
Daisane, who owns a St. Cloud child care center, had hoped to flip the seat to Democrats, propelled by the region’s changing demographics. District 14A covers parts of St. Cloud, Waite Park and St. Augusta.
He’s one of the first candidates of color to win the DFL endorsement in central Minnesota.
Neither candidate had released a comment at publication time.
Perryman said during this campaign she has heard from voters on issues including the rising cost of living, tax increases and the burden of regulation on schools and small businesses.
“I plan to continue representing every resident in District 14A,” she said in a statement in September.
Born in Somalia, Daisane spent 18 years in a refugee camp in Kenya before immigrating to the United States in 2009.
In 2016, he ran for the St. Cloud City Council, but fell short.
He said that in this election, he was not thinking about losing. “We are all-in on this victory,” he said. “But if I do lose, I’ll take the time to be with my family, particularly bonding with my one-month-old daughter. Family comes first, and I’m grateful for their support through this entire process.”
This is part of Sahan Journal’s live election coverage. Check back for updates.
