Local News

Slipy participates in debate turned rapid fire Q-&-A in absence of opponent

KAXE | By Chelsey Perkins

Published April 24, 2025 at 5:32 PM CDT

Senate District 6 DFL candidate Denise Slipy participates in a debate organized by the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce, Brainerd Dispatch and Brainerd Area League of Women Voters on April 22, 2025, at the Greater Lakes Association of Realtors building in Baxter.

The DFL candidate answered questions about subjects ranging from rising cost of living, housing and child care to education, abortion and gun ownership.

BAXTER — An event intended to be a debate between two candidates running in Senate District 6 instead featured just the DFLer answering questions.

Denise Slipy introduced herself on Tuesday, April 22, as a wife, mother, grandmother, former volunteer firefighter, corrections officer, first responder and reserve police officer.

The 51-year-old Breezy Point woman has also been active in local DFL politics, most recently serving as district chair before stepping down to run for this seat, left vacant by Justin Eichorn’s arrest and resignation.

“Senate District 6 has been underserved and underrepresented, and I will serve you with grit, independence and integrity," Slipy told a crowd of about 70 people in person, and about the same number watching live online. "I’m running for you, the people of Senate District 6, not the party.”

Slipy answered questions about subjects ranging from rising cost of living, housing and child care to education, abortion and gun ownership. Moderator Matt Kilian, the president of the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce, ran out of prepared questions and turned to audience submissions to fill the half-hour.

Republican Keri Heintzeman declined to participate in the debate. According to a chamber news release, she stated she would instead be using her time to have face-to-face conversations with voters through door knocking.

She told Lakeland News, however, that there were issues with the April 8 Republican candidate forum, also moderated by Kilian. She said she believed organizers made a mistake by not inviting Slipy to that event, and pointed to disorder "with at least three audience members calling 911 due to the lack of decorum."

Elections

Senate District 6 2025 Special Election Guide

Republican Keri Heintzeman and DFLer Denise Slipy are running to represent the Brainerd lakes area, southeastern Cass County, and Grand Rapids and southwestern Itasca County.

Heintzeman was referencing disturbances caused by Troy Scheffler, a former election opponent of her husband, House District 6B state Rep. Josh Heintzeman. Scheffler is suing the Heintzemans as part of a defamation claim related to his run for Crow Wing County commissioner in 2022.

“It’s unfortunate that my opponent isn’t here, because I think you deserve to hear both sides in an honest debate," Slipy said Tuesday night. "That’s part of the problem folks, we’re not hearing both sides.”

Senate District 6 DFL candidate Denise Slipy, left, speaks with Crosslake Chamber Director Cindy Myogeto after participating in a debate organized by the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce, Brainerd Dispatch and Brainerd Area League of Women Voters on April 22, 2025, at the Greater Lakes Association of Realtors building in Baxter.

Voters in the district have cast reliably red ballots for at least the last decade. Slipy positioned herself as a middle-of-the-road moderate.

“I’m not a rubber stamp for either party," she said. "And I am not gonna pretend to be a Trump supporter. I'm not gonna pretend to be, if it was, you know, [Kamala] Harris, a full Harris supporter."

What she had to say

Use the table below for a quick look at Slipy's answers. We’ve included timestamps for each of her 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.