The battle for a St. Cloud-area seat in the Minnesota Senate could be the key to Republicans gaining control of the upper chamber of the state legislature.
Since 2023, Democrats have held a one-seat majority in the 67-member Senate. That majority was a part of the DFL trifecta that controlled the governorship, Senate, and the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2023 through 2024.
During that period, Democrats passed some of the most extreme legislation the state has ever seen. Further, the state budget grew by nearly 40% in that time. The DFL ended up losing their trifecta in 2024, but this year will be the first time the Senate is up for election since then.
Minnesota Senate District 14 is one of just a handful of toss-up seats in the Senate that will determine whether Republicans or Democrats win the chamber. The district includes St. Cloud and some surrounding jurisdictions and has been represented by DFL Sen. Aric Putnam since 2021.
Putnam first won the seat in 2020 when he beat incumbent Republican Sen. Jerry Relph by less than one point. Two years later, Putnam won a four-year term for the seat when he beat GOP state Rep. Tama Theis by nearly five points.
Challenging Putnam this year is Republican state Rep. Bernie Perryman. Perryman was first elected to the House in 2022 when she beat her DFL opponent by less than two points. In 2024, she won a second term by beating her DFL challenger by nearly 13 points.
DFL Sen. Aric Putnam
A communications professor at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, Putnam is touting his support for an Independent Office of the Inspector General to investigate fraud and other anti-fraud efforts in his campaign for reelection.
Additionally, the DFLer is campaigning on his support for a reduction in taxes on Social Security, the trifecta’s creation of the free K-12 school meals program, and bills “that stabilize our health care costs, lower prescription drug prices, and expand medical assistance for moms.”
During his time in the Senate, Putnam was an integral part of the DFL’s trifecta and voted for many elements of the trifecta’s agenda.
Putnam voted for legislation that removed all restrictions on abortion, raised the gas tax by indexing it to inflation, and allowed illegal aliens to get driver’s licenses and access to a state-run healthcare program for low-income individuals.
Putnam also supported the creation of Minnesota’s Paid Leave law and a sweeping gun control bill that would have banned federally licensed firearms dealers from selling a wide swath of firearms, including the AR-15, the most popular firearm in America.
Perhaps most interesting about his time in the legislature was his decision to support DFL Sen. Omar Fateh’s bid for mayor of Minneapolis.
Fateh was endorsed by a local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in his bid for mayor and is one of the most far-left members of the Senate. He supported a 2021 effort to replace Minneapolis’ police department and carried a bill to make Minnesota a sanctuary state.
Alpha News contacted Putnam with questions about his reelection bid, his voting record, and his support for a DSA-endorsed mayoral candidate. However, he did not respond to a media inquiry prior to a publication deadline.
Republican Rep. Bernie Perryman
In addition to serving in the Minnesota House, Perryman is the former chair of the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce and owns a pair of Batteries Plus stores in the St. Cloud area. Perryman is running on a platform to stop fraud, support law enforcement, and cut taxes.
Alpha News contacted Perryman with a series of questions about her campaign and priorities. She provided written answers to those questions.
“In my two terms in the Minnesota House, I’ve worked to stop the rampant fraud in our programs, bring meaningful investments into our district, fought for our seniors to keep every dollar from their Social Security checks, tax relief for families, and support law enforcement so our communities remain safe places to live and work,” Perryman told Alpha News.
The GOP lawmaker was also critical of the DFL, saying they “took our state from an $18 billion surplus to a $6 billion deficit while raising taxes by another $10 billion. They implemented inflexible, expensive state mandates that increased property taxes and made it harder to do business in Minnesota.”
Additionally, Perryman discussed the top three bills she would like a future GOP Senate majority to pass. Among them was anti-fraud legislation to prevent fraud on the front end by running risk-assessments on providers and visiting those providers before payments are made.
She described stopping fraud as her “top priority.”
Perryman also wants to reverse a law passed by the DFL trifecta that automatically confirms state agency commissioners if the Senate does not take action on those commissioners. She also wants to reduce fees on cars and boats and eliminate taxes on Social Security.
“I think the last few legislative sessions have shown the need for balance in state government,” Perryman told Alpha News. “Under single party control, we saw family budgets stretched thin while the government’s spending grew 40%.”
When asked how she intended to win what could be a close race, Perryman said, “I have and will continue to outwork my opponent at the doors and in the community to meet with people from all walks of life across District 14.”
“My coalition is broad and I am proud that I am endorsed by and have earned the trust of the business community, our law enforcement officers, our homebuilders, and so many others who help make this district the best in the state,” she added.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
