Keri Heintzeman, Denise Slipy win Minnesota primary elections, advance to general

Minnesota candidate Keri Heintzeman won the Republican primary for the state’s special election to fill a vacancy in the state Senate. Democrat Denise Slipy won her unopposed primary.

Heintzeman won the election on Tuesday night when she secured 46.8% of the vote, or 3,404 votes. The next closest candidate, John Howe, took home 1,127 (15.5%) votes. Jennifer Carnahan, the former state GOP chair who resigned in 2023 after a top donor she was connected with got arrested for sex trafficking minors, finished third with 812 (11.2%) votes. Matthew Zinda, who publicly questioned the existence of dinosaurs, finished in last place in eighth with 28 (0.4%) votes.

Heintzeman, who is the wife of state Rep. Josh Heintzeman (R-Nisswa), had a commanding fundraising lead heading into the primary with over $55,000 raised.

She previously served as a district director for President Donald Trump’s Minnesota campaign last year. The candidate also attended Trump’s Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6 2021 with her son, but she claims they left before the violence started and became the Capitol riot.

Heintzeman will face DFL candidate and volunteer firefighter Denise Slipy in the general election on April 29. DFL party Chair Richard Carlbom gave the following statement after Tuesday’s results:

“As a reserve officer and former volunteer firefighter, Denise Slipy has dedicated herself to serving her community. Denise will fight to protect her constituents’ health care and be a champion for strong public schools because she knows that public service should be about improving people’s lives, not partisan politics,” said Minnesota DFL Chair Richard Carlbom. “In Keri Heintzeman, Minnesota Republicans have rallied around a partisan political campaign operative who was at the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection. The contrast between her record as an extremist and partisan insider and Denise’s long record of community service could not be more clear.”

The difference between the two candidates to replace Justin Eichorn couldn’t be clearer. Sign up today to help Denise Slipy! pic.twitter.com/dSZFJxlzKs

— Minnesota DFL Party (@MinnesotaDFL) April 16, 2025

The two candidates are running to fill a vacancy in the Sixth District left by former state Sen. Justin Eichorn (R-East Grand Forks), who resigned after he was arrested in a child prostitution sting last month.