KAXE contacted every candidate up to three times using contact information submitted to the Secretary of State's Office to invite them to participate in our Election Guide.
Candidate responses have not been edited and are published as submitted.
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KAXE's Primary Election Guide only includes races where enough candidates filed to trigger a primary. Visit our full list of who's running for office in Northern Minnesota to see who else will be on the ballot in November.
About this race
Sen. Paul Utke is running for reelection. He was first elected to represent the area in the Minnesota Senate in 2016.
Rep. Mike Wiener currently represents state House District 5B.
State Senate District 5 includes all of Wadena and Todd counties and parts of Cass, Hubbard, Becker and Morrison counties.
The winner of this primary will face Democratic candidate Skylar Fynboh in the general election in November.
Remember: In the primaries, you can only vote for candidates from one political party. If you vote for candidates from more than one party, your vote won't be counted. You decide which party you will vote for, as Minnesota doesn't have political party registration.
Click the tabs below to learn more about the candidates
Party Endorsed
Age on Election Day: 50
Community: Rural, south of Long Prairie
Employment: Wiener Custom Craft. Owner
Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.
I served the people of House District 5b as their Representative for the last four years. 20 years ago my wife and I started Wiener Custom Craft a wood processing company that produces animal bedding and Bio -mass. Our business gives me connections with two of the largest industries in our area agriculture and forestry. I also attended toTechnical College for Business Management and Sales
Why are you running?
As the endorsed candidate I'm running for change. The state budget has increased from $35 billion to nearly 70 billion in 10 years. Has your income doubled in the last 10 years? NO. And yet career politicians keep voting for massive omnibus bills which only expand government spending. Massive amounts of fraud in the health and human services committee has continued because politicians work for big pharma and lobbyists not the people. I am the only candidate in this race who does not take money from lobbyists. I work for the people not special interests.
Editor’s note: Minnesota’s spending was $62.4 million in fiscal year 2025, compared to $35.9 billion in FY2015. That includes spending from special revenue funds, permanent trust funds, federal dollars and debt services. Spending from the General Fund, Minnesota’s largest and most flexible fund, has grown to $34 billion from $20.3 billion.
Why should voters choose you to advance to the general election?
As the Endorsed candidate receiving 80 percent of the votes at the Republican convention I'm truly honored. It has been a great experience serving in the house, now it's time to take that experience to make change in the Senate. As the author of The articles of impeachment I worked to hold Tim Walz accountable for the fraud in our state. I was one leading the charge to keep our old Minnesota flag. At the same time warning that down shifts from the state would massively increase our property taxes which has happened. Leaders need to take charge, not wait for a gavel to make change. I will work for our future generations for my children your children our grandchildren for a better Minnesota.
What are your top three priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
Cut Government spending which lowers taxes.
Fraud, hold corrupt politicians accountable.
Restore our old Minnesota flag
What environment and natural resources policies do you support?
I hunt and fish and want to make sure my kids have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors as much as I do. When natural resources have become politicized it can have negative effects on our rural way of life. We have seen this with the wolf predidation issues. I attended and spoke at many of those events.
What policies do you support to address concerns of widespread fraud in state-run programs?
Currently health and human services is where the bulk of the fraud is taking place. The departments gauge their success by number of people served but not results. For instance in the housing funding we have spent billions on homelessness and yet the number of homeless has not decreased. These departments needs to prioritize results and efficiency along with Zero Based budgeting in order to reign in the fraud. When fraudster are convicted of frauding government the the specific area where the fraud came from have to have their budget cut by that amount.
What policies would you champion to help alleviate growing property tax burdens on residents at the local government level? What changes, if any, would you support to Local Government Aid?
Since before I was elected I proposed a cap on property taxes. Which would protect our homeowners especially in the rural areas. This has to be tied with no unfunded mandates from the state to be successful. Currently the state shifts tax burden down onto the counties and local entities without funding them. LGA and CPA only help alleviate some of the tax burden. As Ronald Reagan said we don't have a tax problem we have a spending problem. We need to cut spending and with an estimated 9 BILLION in fraud there is plenty of areas we can cut.
Editor’s note: Federal prosecutors estimated fraud in state-run Medicaid programs, primarily funded by federal dollars, could exceed $9 billion; Gov. Tim Walz and state officials said that was a sensationalized number.
How would you ensure constituents who didn’t vote for you still feel represented?
I work for all the people in my area. Good ideas aren't relegated to one party. But on core issues such as life and the second amendment to me there is no compromise.
Still have questions for the candidates? Contact information for all those who've filed to run for office can be found at candidates.sos.state.mn.us.
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Contributed/Lorie ShaullMonths before the midterms, the Trump administration dismantled a bipartisan federal commission that serves local offices that oversee voting. -
Lorie Shaull/Special to KAXEThe library matched the anonymous matching donation for $30,000 it received in June 2026. A larger fundraising goal is aimed at increasing public hours in 2027. -
Contributed/University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering CenterDue to smoke from Boundary Waters wildfires, the MPCA issued air quality alerts for large parts of Minnesota. The alert lasts until at least Friday, July 16, 2026. -
During the Phenology Report for the week of July 14, 2026 Staff Phenologist John Latimer remarks on blooming basswoods, hawks hunting in harvested fields, and more.
