BRAINERD — Matthew Zinda, a former House candidate who lost a primary bid to Rep. Josh Heintzeman in 2024, is the last of eight Republicans to run in the special election in Senate District 6.
The seat was left vacant by the resignation of Justin Eichorn. The primary election will be April 15, and the general election is set for April 29.
Zinda describes himself as a self-employed driver/umpire/journalist on his candidacy Facebook page. In a post on April 1 — the final day of the candidate filing period — Zinda shared a photograph of his affidavit of candidacy.
"Here's my first campaign promise: You won't pay jack in taxes w/o proper representation!" his page stated in a follow-up post.
In the comments, he expanded that thought: "If you, Minnesotan, are being taxed w/o representation, please see me; my phone number and email address and physical address are public. If you intend ill-will toward me or those I accurately represent, don't bother knocking, just come in."
Zinda said he door-knocked for fellow candidate Jennifer Carnahan before deciding to run himself. He said Carnahan, who is a Korean adoptee, "does not look like us or act like us," and said she is "gonna do great things for South Korea."
"Through absolutely no fault of your own, you do not accurately represent me and my ilk, here on north central Minnesota soil. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about you, and you have never harmed me in any way," Zinda's post stated. "I just can not, in good conscience, vote or persuade anyone to vote for any of the current candidates, regardless of party, which is the only reason I have decided to run; it is purely a moral decision; I'm sorry if any feelings are hurt."
Eichorn resigned March 20 under pressure from both state parties and numerous individual lawmakers and the promise of a vote to expel him by the Minnesota Republican Senate Caucus. He was arrested March 17 in a law enforcement sting operation after he allegedly attempted to solicit a 17-year-old for paid sex, who turned out to be an undercover officer.
Eichorn's departure from the Senate means Republicans now have 32 members, while the DFL has 34. The district includes the cities of Grand Rapids, Brainerd and Baxter.
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Contributed/Artist'Lotus' by Little Simz is KAXE's Album of the Week for June 16-22, 2025. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEAn estimated 2,000 rallied in Brainerd, while an estimated 1,000 rallied in Bemidji and Grand Rapids, despite warnings about large gatherings in light of Rep. Hortman's assassination. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEUniversity of Minnesota Twin Cities rising senior Dani Faher will spend two months covering Northern Minnesota with the KAXE News Team. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXERep. Melissa Hortman served as Minnesota House speaker from 2019 to early 2025, when she was named Speaker Emerita under a power-sharing agreement. -
Contributed/MSHSLThe Rebels beat New Ulm Cathedral 15-7 in the 2025 Minnesota State High School League championship Saturday at Target Field. The win caps off a great sports year for the school. -
Contributed/University of Minnesota Press"Kitchens of Hope" tells Minnesota immigrants culinary journeys and is as rich in recipes as it is in stories. -
Contributed/Stephen Maturen/Getty Image North AmericaThe arrest comes after a 43-hour manhunt — the largest in state history, according to Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley. -
A lifelong Crane Laker shows off the area and reflects on the community's history with Voyageurs National Park just before the Crane Lake Visitor Center opens. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEA man impersonating a police officer shot Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband in their Brooklyn Park home. Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot multiple times. -
Contributed/Erin HaefeleWhen the garden or farmers market gives you everything at once, the best way to handle it is to return to the fundamentals: roast, grill, bake, pickle, can, dry, freeze and sauté. These aren’t just methods, they’re survival tools during harvest season. Especially grilling. Because it’s summer. And everything tastes better with a little char and a lot of butter.This week, Amy and Heidi talked to Erin Haefele of Green Scene in Walker, Minnesota, "a charming food haven nestled in the heart of rural northern Minnesota where small-town warmth meets big-city sophistication." Erin inspires us with simple preparations to deliciously fresh garden ingredients. And we hear from Amy's friend Beth Friedrichson from Wisconsin, who gushes about dilly beans and life on the farm with chickens and alpacas.Lots of folks phoned in to talk about their harvests, whether it was peonies in Stillwater, garlic near Detroit Lakes, urban front yard CSAs in Minneapolis, potato varieties in Deer River or stuffed grape leaves in Chicago, you had a story to tell. Share yours! This week's community recipe to cook along with us is Onion Pie: kaxe.org/community-recipe-onion-pie-ham-radio-amy-thielen. Give it a try and send us your reactions and photos at comments@kaxe.org!Ham Radio Features original licensed music — "You Know How I Like It" by Jeremy Messersmith.Made possible by the Minnesota Arts & Culture Heritage Fund. Support KAXE by becoming a member today: https://donate.nprstations.org/kaxe/donate
