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MN Senate District 6 primary results: Who will run for Sen. Eichorn seat?

By
Published  April 16, 2025 8:44am CDT
Politics
FOX 9

MN Senate District 6 results are in

We now know the two candidates who will face off in the special election for Minnesota Senate District 6, which covers Brainerd and areas to the north of the city stretching to Grand Rapids.

The Brief

    • Republican Keri Heintzeman and Democrat Denise Slipy will face off in the special election for Senate District 6 in Minnesota.
    • Heintzeman easily defeated seven other GOP candidates to win a primary on Tuesday. Slipy was the only DFL candidate.
    • The special election on April 29 will fill the seat left vacant by Sen. Justin Eichorn after his prostitution arrest.

(FOX 9) - We now know the two candidates who will face off in the special election for Minnesota Senate District 6, which covers Brainerd and areas to the north of the city stretching to Grand Rapids.

Senate District 6 primary results

What we know:

Keri Heintzeman defeated seven other candidates, earning a whopping 46.7% of the vote, to earn the GOP nomination. Denise Slipy was the only DFL candidate running and will represent the party.

Dig deeper:

Heintzeman is the wife of Rep. Josh Heintzeman, the Minnesota House rep for the Brainerd area. Heintzeman previously worked as a district director for the Trump 2024 campaign and owns a recreational rental business in Nisswa.

Her opponent, Slipy, is an environmental health and safety professional who lists a number of public service roles on her website, including working as a CPR instructor, reserve police officer, a first responder in Crow Wing County, OSHA outreach instructor, and a volunteer firefighter.

DFL candidate Denise Slipy (left) will face GOP candidate Keri Heintzeman (right) in the race for the Senate District 6 later this month.

Senate District 6 seat vacated

The backstory:

The two candidates will face off for the seat left vacant by Sen. Justin Eichorn, who resigned after he was reportedly caught up in a prostitution sting.

Police say Eichorn attempted to solicit a teen girl for sex but was really texting with an undercover police officer in Bloomington. He was arrested when he allegedly showed up to meet with the girl and is now facing federal charges in the case. He resigned days after his arrest.

By the numbers:

The race could end up being fairly competitive between the two candidates. Before Eichorn, a Republican, the Senate District 6 seat was held by DFLer David Tomassoni for more than two decades until his death in 2022 after being diagnosed with ALS.

However, it's worth noting the district also changed in 2022 due to redistricting which shifted it further west, previously covering areas including Virginia and Chisholm. Eichorn won his race in 2022 easily, 63-36.

Senate District 5, which previously covered much of the new District 6, was last won by a Democrat in 2012. Eichorn won the seat in 2016 by a narrow margin and easily earned re-election in 2020.

What's next:

The special election date is set for April 29.

The Source: This story uses information from the candidate's websites, and election information from the Secretary of State.

PoliticsElectionMinnesota