Keri Heintzeman—a well-established Republican activist in the Brainerd Lakes Area and wife of state Rep. Josh Heintzeman—ran away with the win in a northern Minnesota special primary election on Tuesday.
Heintzeman secured the GOP nomination for the Senate District 6 general election later this month after garnering 47% of the vote among a field of eight candidates, according to unofficial returns reported to the Minnesota Secretary of State. The seat has been vacant since last month after the resignation of Sen. Justin Eichorn, who was arrested on charges of soliciting a minor.
Heintzeman, a Nisswa business owner and mother of six, will move on to face DFL candidate Denise Slipy, of Breezy Point, in the April 29 general election. The district was plus-27 for Republicans in 2022.
If she wins the general election, Keri and her husband Josh would be the second married couple serving concurrently in the legislature. Josh Heintzeman is a sixth-term member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. The other couple, Rep. Marion Rarick and Sen. Jason Rarick, were married after entering the legislature.
“The upcoming election is critical for restoring fiscal responsibility to our state government and ensuring accountability for the significant waste and fraud under the Walz administration,” Heintzeman said after her primary win.
“Throughout the primary, I listened closely to the concerns of District 6 residents, who made it clear they expect me to curb excessive spending, lower taxes, and safeguard their children from the imposition of a radical agenda in our schools by St. Paul liberals. If elected, I pledge to serve Senate District 6 with integrity, defending the values and way of life cherished by our community.”
While the 21-day primary campaign was short, the field of candidates was robust. It included former Republican Party of Minnesota Chairwoman and Nisswa Mayor Jennifer Carnahan, Josh Gazelka, a young businessman and son of former Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, and Dr. John Howe, a veterinarian from Grand Rapids.
‘Wore our shoe leather out’ door-knocking and fundraising
Late last month, Heintzeman was the first among the field of candidates to begin placing political signs across the sprawling Senate District 6. She also raised nearly four times more than her closest competitors, banking more than $55,000 in donations over the course of the three-week primary campaign.
Heintzeman also wasted no time branding herself as an “America First, grassroots conservative.” She had a “Team Trump” jacket to prove it, which she wore at a candidate forum held in Baxter last week. Heintzeman also wore the jacket, which she earned as a district director for the 2024 Trump campaign in northern Minnesota, while door-knocking.
During the debate, Heintzeman said one of her main objectives in the Senate would be to hold her DFL colleagues and Gov. Tim Walz accountable for the surplus they spent into a deficit while they had a “trifecta” in 2023 and 2024.
“They turned an $18 billion surplus into a $6 billion deficit in just two years, raising taxes by $10 billion,” Heintzeman said. “That’s insane. It has to stop.”
Heintzeman said she’ll work to cut wasteful spending by “demanding performance-based accountability from state agencies for every program and every tax dollar.”
Heintzeman has homeschooled her children, three of whom are now adults. She said the next generation is her primary motivator for wanting to serve in St. Paul.
“I want to see a better Minnesota future for them,” Heintzeman said. “I don’t want them driven out of Minnesota because of the policies in place currently and what horrible future legislation could come down the line.”
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
