Candidates announce campaigns for Justin Eichorn's vacant Minnesota Senate seat
After a Minnesota state senator resigned over accusations he sought sex from a minor, candidates are announcing their intentions to run for his vacant seat.
Republican Justin Eichorn held the Senate seat in District 6 before his resignation, which came just before a scheduled vote on his expulsion. He faces a federal charge of attempted coercion or enticement of a minor. A criminal complaint alleges he arranged to meet and have sex with someone he thought was a 17-year-old girl, but who was actually an undercover officer.
WCCO has learned Gov. Tim Walz is expected to issue a writ of special election for Eichorn's seat on Tuesday. There are different rules under state law when there is a vacancy during the legislative session to ensure constituents in the district are represented. The statute says the special election must be held as soon as possible, but with at least a week's notice for a special primary and 14 days' notice of the special election.
That means a new senator could be seated as early as the middle or latter part of April. The Legislature must adjourn by May 19.
In Eichorn's own party, Keri Heintzeman has announced her intention to run for the vacancy. Heintzeman worked on President Trump's 2024 campaign and said she will run on a platform of "fiscal responsibility, personal freedom and government transparency." Her husband, Josh Heintzeman, is a state representative in District 6B.
Doug Kern, who lost to Josh Heintzman in the 2022 Republican primary for the District 6B seat, has also announced his candidacy. Kern said in a Facebook post that he believes Minnesota needs faith, family and freedom.
Former Minnesota GOP chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan — currently the mayor of Nisswa — also announced she is running for the vacancy. She says she's running because "we need one of us in the office."
"Someone who knows what it's like to run a small business, take care of their family, has to work hard every single day to get ahead, and still worry about things like the cost of groceries, gas, and energy bills," Carnahan said.
Carnahan's tenure as chairwoman was marked by several controversies and ended in her 2021 resignation. Carnahan sued the state's GOP party in late 2022, alleging leaders broke a stipulation in their severance agreement by making disparaging remarks about her, causing her to lose work opportunities.
The son of former Republican State Senator Paul Gazelka, Josh Gazelka, is also running. In a social post on Facebook, Josh Gazelka said the district needs "someone who will fight for small business, families and our conservative values."
Another Republican candidate vying for the seat is Angel Zierden, the former mayor of Breezy Point, Minnesota. Zierden says she plans to "work across the aisle and deliver results" if elected.
On the Democratic side, Emily LeClaire has thrown her hat in the ring. LeClaire ran against Josh Heintzeman in 6B in 2024. She promises to "refuse to hear the needs of one party above the other, and will work for all of District 6."
Eichorn has already made his first court appearance, during which a judge set the conditions of his release once a spot at a halfway house becomes available. Federal prosecutors later requested the court keep him in jail until trial after Eichorn allegedly lied about a gun and tried to conceal evidence at his Twin Cities apartment. The state originally charged Eichorn, but those charges were dropped in favor of the federal prosecution.
