BAXTER — A candidate forum for the Republicans running in the special election for Senate District 6 will take place Tuesday, April 8, in Baxter.
The forum will be 7-8:30 p.m. in the cafetorium at Forestview Middle School. It will also be streamed live on the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce's Facebook page.
All eight Republican candidates running have been invited. They are:
- Jennifer Carnahan, Crow Wing County
- Steve Cotariu, Crow Wing County
- Josh Gazelka, Crow Wing County
- Keri Heintzeman, Crow Wing County
- John A. Howe, Itasca County
- Doug Kern, Crow Wing County
- Angel Zierden, Crow Wing County
- Matthew Zinda, Crow Wing County
The Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce is hosting the event in partnership with the Brainerd Dispatch and the League of Women Voters, with support from the Rosenmeier Center for State & Local Government at Central Lakes College.
A primary election to narrow the field to one Republican will be April 15.
The chamber stated it will host a debate between the winning Republican and the sole DFLer later, ahead of the April 29 special general election.
Senate District 6 covers northern Crow Wing, east-central Cass and southwestern Itasca counties. It includes the cities of Brainerd, Baxter, Garrison, Crosby, Crosslake, Pequot Lakes, Remer, Grand Rapids and Cohasset.
Grand Rapids Republican Justin Eichorn resigned from the Senate on March 20. He had been arrested in Bloomington three days earlier for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Eichorn allegedly sought paid sex from an undercover officer posing as a 17-year-old multiple times over the course of nearly a week, according to charges. He faces one felony federal charge of agreeing to hire a person under 18 years old for prostitution, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years.
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