Heintzeman wins special election to represent MN Senate District 6 after Eichorn’s resignation

NISSWA Republican Keri Heintzeman of Nisswa will represent District in the Minnesota Senate earning of the vote to beat DFler Denise Slipy according to unofficial results She will fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Justin Eichorn and represent the district through including the remainder of the current legislative session which ends May The results do not affect the balance of the Senate where the DFL will retain its majority Heintzeman is a longtime political organizer Nisswa business owner and wife of Rep Josh Heintzeman who represents House District B Together the couple has six children three of whom are adults and they run a small business called Upcountry Log LLC and own rental properties She was the district director of the Trump campaign Related Crowded field emerges to replace former state Sen Justin Eichorn Heintzeman entered the Tuesday April special electoral process coming off a dominant primary win and with a major fundraising lead Majority of of the district has been reliably red for close to a decade In the only state Senate balloting with the current legislative boundaries then-incumbent Eichorn won by over votes Slipy still trailed Heintzeman in total funding heading into Referendum Day but she saw a surge in the weeks after the primary and nationally Democrats have been seeing improved performance in special elections since President Donald Trump took office compared to the November balloting Heintzeman finished with votes to Slipy s Complete results can be unveiled here Heintzeman ran away with the Republican primary garnering of the vote and leading of precincts She was the first Republican to announce her intent to run for the seat in an eventual primary field of eight In her campaign announcement she highlighted the economic struggles of families and small business owners and vowed to focus on lowering taxes cutting regulations and combating administration fraud I am running for the Minnesota Senate to champion the values we hold dear fiscal responsibility personal freedom and cabinet transparency Heintzeman revealed in her announcement Together we can create an ecosystem where families thrive businesses grow and our children have a bright and safe future During a primary candidate forum Heintzeman emphasized her familiarity and experience with the Minnesota Legislature noting she lives in St Paul with her husband and children during the session She declined to attend a debate with Slipy put together by the same organizers as the primary forum and also moderated by the president of the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce According to a chamber news release she stated she would instead be using her time to have face-to-face conversations with voters through door-knocking But Heintzeman described Lakeland News that there were issues with the previous forum She stated she presumed organizers made a mistake by not inviting Slipy to that event and pointed to disorder with at least three audience members calling due to the lack of decorum As of late last week Heintzeman had raised over and led Slipy in fundraising by a major margin Northern Minnesota business owners are the primary big contributors in the region Several were highlighted earlier this week when the DFL filed a campaign finance complaint against Heintzeman alleging she accepted double the contribution limit from nine individuals Heintzeman stated the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Constituents Disclosure Board assured her she was not violating the law According to the board the special electoral contest contribution limits are separate from the regular electoral process cycle limits Senate District covers northern Crow Wing east-central Cass and southwestern Itasca counties It includes the cities of Brainerd Baxter Garrison Crosby Crosslake Pequot Lakes Remer Grand Rapids and Cohasset The post Heintzeman wins special electoral contest to represent MN Senate District after Eichorn s resignation appeared first on MinnPost