Overview

• Keri Heintzeman, a former Trump campaign district director, secured 60.27% of the vote in the Senate District 6 special election, defeating Democrat Denise Slipy.
• The special election was held to replace Justin Eichorn, who resigned following his arrest in a federal underage prostitution sting.
• Heintzeman’s victory narrows the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party’s majority in the Minnesota Senate to just one vote, intensifying the legislative dynamics ahead of budget negotiations.
• Senate District 6, encompassing Crow Wing, Cass, and Itasca counties, has leaned Republican in recent years, with Eichorn previously winning by wide margins.
• This marks the third special election in Minnesota this year, reflecting heightened turnover in the state legislature.