Conway Beats Endorsed Candidate in 14A Republican Primary, Abdi Daisane Gets DFL Win

(KNSI) – St. Cloud City Council President Mike Conway won the Republican primary in Minnesota House District 14A on Tuesday, defeating the candidate his own party endorsed in February.

Conway took 1,822 votes, or 62.25%, to John Jose’s 1,105 votes, or 37.75%, with all 18 precincts reporting as of 9:38 p.m., according to unofficial results from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office.

Jose won the Senate District 14 Republican endorsement on the first ballot at the February convention. Conway, who lost that vote, filed for the primary anyway in May, telling KNSI Radio at the time that supporters had encouraged him to stay in the race.

Conway joined KNSI Radio’s election night coverage after the results came in. “But today is an important day because the voters, the people who are in the middle of this whole thing, they’re the ones that get to pick their candidate.”

Conway credited door knocking for the win, saying he finished the primary campaign at roughly 1,550 doors. He was on crutches for much of his 2024 run for mayor after breaking his leg.

On the DFL side, Abdi Daisane won his party’s primary with 2,262 votes, or 62.52%. Paul R. F. Schumacher received 1,356 votes, or 37.48%.

Daisane, a St. Cloud child care business owner, carried the DFL endorsement into the primary. He ran for the same seat in 2024, losing to Representative Bernie Perryman.

The seat is open this cycle because Perryman is not seeking reelection to the House. She is running for the Senate District 14 seat currently held by DFL Senator Aric Putnam.

Conway has served on the St. Cloud City Council since 2018 and is its current president. He is not seeking a third term in Ward 4, which drew a four-candidate field of its own on Tuesday’s ballot. Conway also ran for mayor in 2024, finishing behind Jake Anderson.

District 14A includes St. Augusta and parts of St. Cloud, Waite Park, and St. Joseph. Voters have not elected a new representative in the district in four years.

Combined turnout in the two primaries topped 6,500 votes. There were 26,240 registered voters in the district when polls opened at 7:00 a.m., a figure that does not account for Election Day registrations.

He and Daisane meet in the general election on November 3rd. Results remain unofficial until canvassed.

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