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Politics and Government News
MPR News Staff
Updated:

Republican Keri Heintzeman wins special election to fill a Minnesota Senate vacancy in District 6

A woman poses for a photograph.
Republican Keri Heintzeman won a special election in a north-central Minnesota Senate.
Courtesy of Keri Heintzeman

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Use the audio player above to listen to MPR News host Nina Moini’s interview with Keri Hentzeman, produced by Ellie Roth.

Republicans kept a Minnesota state Senate seat in their column Tuesday as Keri Heintzeman won a special election to replace a GOP lawmaker who resigned.

With all precincts reporting, Heintzeman had 60 percent of the vote to the 40 percent of DFL nominee Denise Slipy — a nearly 4,400-vote edge.

In a statement after the victory, Heintzeman’s campaign said that by “aligning her platform with the policies championed by President Trump, she demonstrated that authenticity and steadfastness to conservative values are not just viable but victorious strategies.”

“This victory is a testament to the power of conservative values and the enduring spirit of our community,” Heintzeman said in the statement, pledging to “fight tirelessly to protect our freedoms, reduce government overreach, and ensure that every tax dollar is spent wisely.”

The comfortable Heintzeman victory in Senate District 6, a north-central district that has become solidly Republican in recent elections, means the party will return to 33 members. That’s one shy of the 34-seat DFL majority.

Heintzeman should take office soon after the unofficial results are certified. The legislative session has fewer than three weeks remaining.

Heintzeman is a Nisswa business owner. She’s married to state Rep. Josh Heintzeman — making them the second husband-and-wife pair in the current Legislature. Rep. Marion Rarick, R-Maple Lake, and Sen. Jason Rarick, R-Pine City, are the other married legislators.

It was the third time this year a Minnesota legislative seat was being filled in a special election.

This one was was needed to replace Justin Eichorn, a Republican who resigned from the Minnesota Senate after his arrest and a federal charge over attempted solicitation of a minor.

Heintzeman campaigned on her support for conservative values, including cutting government spending, lowering taxes, supporting gun rights and opposing abortion.