Special election set for seat held by Minnesota state senator accused of soliciting teen for sex
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called a special election in late April for the Brainerd Lakes-area seat vacated by former GOP state Sen. Justin Eichorn, who faces a federal charge for allegedly soliciting a teenager for sex.
It's scheduled for April 29 and whoever wins will take the oath of office in early May ahead of the crucial final weeks before legislative session must end on May 19.
Eichorn, whose pretrial release was temporarily blocked by a judge until another hearing on Wednesday, resigned from his office in the Senate last week ahead of a planned vote to expel him from the chamber.
Eichorn is charged with attempted coercion or enticement of a minor. Prosecutors said he answered an online ad that was part of an operation by Bloomington police and other law enforcement targeting sex trafficking. Officers arrested him last week during what he thought was a meet-up with a 17-year-old girl, according to court documents.
Candidates in both parties have already announced their intention to run, including former GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan; Josh Gazelka, son of former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka; and Keri Heintzeman, Trump campaign worker and wife of GOP state Rep. Josh Heintzeman.
There will be a primary for both parties on April 15.
The special election marks the third to happen in this legislative session and the second in the Senate. In January, Sen. Dorian Clark won the Minneapolis seat left vacant by the death of former DFL Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic.
In March, there was a special election for the Roseville-area seat at the center of the power dispute in the state House after a judge prohibited the DFL winner in the November election from taking the oath of office.
Eichorn was in the middle of his third term at the time of his arrest. He won Senate District 6 handily in 2022, defeating the DFL challenger by more than 27 percentage points.
No matter the outcome, the balance of power will remain unchanged; Democrats still have a one-seat majority in the chamber.
If you know of a child who may have been a victim of exploitation, call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit the website.
