BAXTER — A forum featuring most of the Republican candidates seeking to join the Minnesota Senate took place Tuesday, April 8, at Forestview Middle School in Baxter.
Dozens of attendees filled the cafetorium to hear seven of the eight candidates make their case on why they’re the best choice in the special primary election set for April 15. The seat was left open by the resignation of Justin Eichorn following his arrest last month for allegedly soliciting a minor for paid sex.
Candidates include Steve Cotariu, Josh Gazelka, Keri Heintzeman, John Howe, Doug Kern, Angel Zierden and Matthew Zinda. An eighth candidate, Jennifer Carnahan, did not attend, saying she was sick.
Those vying to win over Republican voters took questions on the economy, education, federal policy, mining and bipartisanship. The winner of Tuesday's special primary will face the DFL-endorsed candidate Denise Slipy in the April 29 special general election.
The Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce, together with the Brainerd Dispatch, the local League of Women Voters and other partners, pulled off the forum in quick fashion. State statute requires a short timeline for special elections when a legislator resigns during the legislative session. The filing period closed just one week before Tuesday’s forum.
The forum was moderated by Matt Kilian, president of the chamber, and included both prepared questions and some from the audience.
“We mentioned that this was an unusual election at an unusual time. I’m not going to repeat all the reasons that we all know,” Kilian said. “ ... We have one person who represents us in the Minnesota Senate, and that’s why it’s incredibly important that we all stay informed, stay engaged and get to know the candidates running so you can make an educated choice at the polls.”
For an hour-and-a-half, candidates presented their views on stage but not without interruption. Despite a request from Kilian for the audience to remain quiet and respectful, there were some interjections, including from former independent House candidate Troy Scheffler.
Scheffler was ultimately asked to leave after several interruptions, and an altercation with another audience member briefly stopped the forum as a Baxter police officer attempted to escort him out of the room.
The forum was livestreamed, and a recording may be viewed at the Brainerd Lakes Chamber’s Facebook page. See our table below for a quick look at the candidates’ answers to each of the questions.
What they had to say
Use the table below for a quick look at each of the candidates and their views. We’ve included timestamps for each of their answers, so you can quickly find and listen to the answers for yourself in the Chamber’s video. You can also search for the terms you’re most interested in.
Candidate backgrounds from opening statements
Jennifer Carnahan shared more about herself in a news release, since she did not attend the forum. She said at 5 months old, she was adopted from South Korea after being abandoned at a rural hospital there. She is the mayor of Nisswa, where she owns two retail stores. She previously worked in marketing and strategy for companies like General Mills, McDonald’s and Ecolab. In 2017, she was elected chairwoman of the Republican Party of Minnesota. She said during her leadership, the party flipped three U.S. House seats and eliminated the party’s debt. “Despite this, I will always be a political outsider — because I’ve lived real life. Just like all of you, I’ve built my career and business from the ground up. I struggle when times are tough.” More about Carnahan can be found here and in our Election Guide.
Steve Cotariu described himself as a veteran who comes from a family of veterans and a small business owner. He said he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1979 and spent 13 years in the Army. He then earned a Master of Business Administration at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and spent 40 years in business, including as the president of a business unit and a corporate officer of a public company. He said he’s a parent, grandparent and a volunteer. “One of things I'm really proud of is ... doing bedside magic for kids in hospitals, and that led me to my current business, which is helping kids build confidence and communication skills while they learn magic.” He said he’s a lifelong Republican and would represent something different as a candidate. More about Cotariu can be found here. We did not receive an Election Guide response from him.
Josh Gazelka said he lives in the woods with his two daughters and his wife of 10 years. He works as the vice president for a top national marketing firm. He said he didn’t expect to run three weeks ago, but when he learned of the news of Eichorn’s resignation, he felt “a weight on his heart” to ensure a strong conservative won the seat. “Really, it’s to serve my community, it’s to serve my family, and that is the word I want to use, is service. Because I don’t want to see this as a career — I want to see this is as an opportunity to give back to the community that has already given me so much.” More about Gazelka can be found here and in our Election Guide.
Keri Heintzeman said she has been married to her husband Josh Heintzeman – who represents House District 6B -- for 25 years, and the couple has six children, three of whom are adults. They have homeschooled their children and run a small business. She said she doesn’t want her children to be driven out of Minnesota by current policies and horrible future legislation. She said fighting to protect the community’s values dates back to 2010, when she and her husband served on the Crow Wing County Human Rights Commission, and they exposed what she described as “fraud and corruption.” The commission was dissolved. “I’ve worked for the Republican Party and have represented my conservative values throughout my time in the party.” More about Heintzeman can be found here and in our Election Guide.
- John Howe is a retired veterinarian who described himself as a conservative Christian. He has served as the president of the American Veterinary Medical Association and has met with leaders from across the world and discussed animal disease and public health. He noted there are no other veterinarians in the Legislature, and he has expertise his opponents are lacking. Energy policy is a focus of his, and he said the elimination of the fossil fuel industry is setting the stage for a “cold, dark future.” “I hope to be part of restoring the values that we all cherish,” he said. “We need to fight government overreach and mandates, and especially the severe fraud going on right now.” More about Howe can be found here and in our Election Guide.
Doug Kern described himself as a Christian conservative Republican with a wife named Sue and grown children. He said he’s served the community for almost 40 years and has been the owner of three businesses. He spent 14 years as the chair of the Crow Wing County Republicans and has served in many elected positions, including five currently. He said he believes the content of a bill should be considered and not whether it was authored by a Republican or a Democrat. “I support faith, freedom, life and America First, ... election integrity, Second Amendment, businesses, law enforcement, and the ‘Never Again’ bill,” he said. More about Kern can be found here and in our Election Guide.
Angel Zierden said she’s been politically active since she was a teenager, and 10 years ago, wrote her first legislation to set tax incentives for companies to produce medical devices for children. She said she has worked on both sides of the political aisle and that bipartisanship is important to passing legislation. She said she continues to advocate for legislation for things like rural health care in at least a dozen bills. “Running was just an extension of these things that I am already doing for the community,” she said. She said she believes in lowering taxes and small businesses, having served on the Government Affairs committee for the Brainerd chamber. Other issues she said she would work on include housing and homelessness, mental health and access to health care. More about Zierden can be found here and in our Election Guide.
- Matthew Zinda said he is a taxi driver and will soon be an umpire for youth baseball and softball. He said he also does investigative journalism and that’s what led him to running for office. He said the first case he took up was a police report he said was falsified along with dash camera and body camera evidence he said was tampered with. He said he is responsible for the city of Baxter updating its data access policies and in Crow Wing County, he said it’s now easier for the public to go and request data. He said he supports First Amendment speech rights and the Second Amendment and is against Senate File 1596. More about Zinda can be found here. We did not receive an Election Guide response from him.
