St. Cloud Somali community seeks political influence, but not all share same views

As Minnesota's Somali population has grown, it's increasingly looking to flex its political muscle. That's especially true in St. Cloud, where the Somali American population has surged dramatically in recent years.

More than two decades since the first Somali refugees settled in St. Cloud, some community members are seeking a more active role in government and politics by exercising their voting power, sometimes breaking with their traditional allegiance with the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, or DFL.

Other Somali Americans in St. Cloud are running for local offices, hoping to achieve success where others have not.

St. Cloud's population of roughly 69,000 people has become increasingly diverse in recent years. Its Black population grew from about 1,700 in 2000 to nearly 15,000 in 2020, according to an analysis of census data from the APM Research Lab.

Abdi Daisane, a small business owner who came to the U.S. 15 years ago, is one of the political hopefuls. He's the DFL candidate for the state House 14A seat representing St. Cloud and is challenging first-term Rep. Bernie Perryman, a Republican.

Daisane said he and other Somali Americans running for office are active in St. Cloud's community.

"They have seen the challenges that exist in our community firsthand," he said. "They have been a part of the solution for a long time."

Daisane is endorsed by the DFL Party. He said he's reaching out to all voters in his district, not just Somali Americans, and focusing on core issues such as education, health care and affordable housing.

Other Somali American candidates seeking office include Omar Podi and Hudda Ibrahim, who are running for seats on the St. Cloud City Council. Both survived a primary election in August.

Podi, who moved to St. Cloud in 2012, said he was encouraged to run by members of the Somali community who feel they aren't represented in city government. He said his goal is to focus on housing and economic development, and help revitalize downtown.

Although the city council race is nonpartisan, Podi has been an organizer for the DFL Party, which has more actively sought to court Minnesota's Somali voters in previous elections than Republicans.

Still, Podi acknowledges that many in St. Cloud's Somali-American community – his estimate is 90 percent – are conservative on many social issues, including abortion and gender-affirming topics in public schools.

"The Somali community, I can tell you right now, they lean Republican," he said.

Podi says more Somali Americans in St. Cloud would vote Republican if the party made them feel more welcome.

Conservative tilt

Nevertheless, when former President Donald Trump spoke to a packed St. Cloud hockey arena in July, the crowd included Somali Americans.

Some were wearing red "Make America Great Again" hats or holding signs voicing their support for the former president, even as the former president called for a crackdown on immigration.

The former president promised tougher border security and "the largest deportation effort in the history of our country." In a 2016 visit to Minnesota, Trump called the resettlement of Somali refugees "a disaster."

Some Republican politicians have tried to walk a careful line between support for Trump and St. Cloud's Somali American residents. Bernie Perryman, the Republican in House District 14A who is being challenged by Abdi Daisane, is trying to do so.

Perryman, a business owner, said she's been reaching out to knock on doors and connect with all voters in her district, including East Africans. Most don't specify whether they're a Republican or Democrat, Perryman said.

"I feel like they just want to be heard about their issues," she said. "And their issues are the same as ours: affordability, education, safe neighborhoods."

Farhan Abdi, who's lived in St. Cloud since 2006, is a Perryman supporter. Abdi has helped with Republican campaigns and vocally supported its candidates. He said the GOP better aligns with his values and stands for family, religion and freedom.

Abdi voted for former President Trump and plans to again, even though he disagrees with some of his anti-immigration rhetoric. Trump's travel ban on Muslim-majority countries went "too far," he said.

"At that time, it touched me personally," Abdi said. "But I knew we are a country of checks and balances ... It never changed my view of me sticking with the president."

Not a monolith

The issue of immigration isn't clear cut among Somali Americans, said Ahmed Abdi. He has lived in St. Cloud for 20 years and works as a journalist for a local radio station, which produces news for a Somali-speaking audience.

Most Somali Americans came to the U.S. by applying for asylum through the refugee process, he said, and may support Trump's talk of a border crackdown.

"They say, 'I don't want people to come to the United States illegally. They can come like us, legally, rather than coming through the border,'" Abdi said.

Matt Lindstrom, a political science professor at the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University, noted that many Somali Americans have been in the U.S. for 15 to 20 years or longer, and many others were born and raised here. They're concerned about more issues than just immigration, he said.

"They're buying gas, they're buying food," Lindstrom said. "They see the inflation. They see rents going up."

What's more, some Somali Americans think another Trump presidency could bring more jobs and employment, according to Abdi. Many Muslims also are upset about the Biden administration's support for the Israeli government in the Gaza conflict, he said, and that could affect whether they vote Democratic or Republican.

An immigrant community develops

Lindstrom is not surprised to see Somali Americans in St. Cloud not just voting on these issues but also seeking a more active role in government and politics. It's a natural immigration cycle of a community that now has roots in St. Cloud going back two decades, Lindstrom said.

"They feel more empowered," he said. "They have some of their economic needs taken care of. Some of their social needs are taken care of. And now they have more time, more interest, more capital, both financial and social capital, to make that choice."

No matter how they end up voting, many Somali residents relish the ability to exercise this right, according to Ahmed Abdi, the St. Cloud journalist.

"I think the first thing people do when they get their citizenship is to vote," he said. "Because majority of us, we never voted for our elections back in Somalia."