Full results: Republican Keri Heintzeman projected to win special election to replace ex-Sen. Justin Eichorn
Voters in northern Minnesota headed to the polls on Tuesday to determine who will fill the state Senate seat vacated by Justin Eichorn, who resigned following allegations he tried to pay a teenager for sex.
Republican Keri Heintzeman is projected to beat Democrat Denise Slipy with 60% of the vote to replace Eichorn in Senate District 6, which leans GOP and includes the Brainerd Lakes area.
Eichorn pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of attempted coercion or enticement of a minor earlier this month. He was arrested as part of an online prostitution sting in Bloomington in March, authorities said. He is currently at a halfway house in Duluth.
Keri Heintzeman, a former Trump campaign worker and wife of GOP state Rep. Josh Heintzeman, won the Republican primary in the race earlier this month. Slipy, a first responder and environmental health and safety professional, ran unopposed on the DFL side.
Last week, the Minnesota DFL filed a complaint against Keri Heintzeman, alleging she ignored campaign contribution limits by accepting more than the maximum allowed from nine different donors. In response, she called the complaint "a baseless effort to smear my reputation just before the election."
Tuesday's special election did not change the balance of power, because democrats already held a majority in the Senate.
Heintzeman is set to take the oath of office in early May ahead of the crucial final weeks before the legislative session must end on May 19.
