Heintzeman Opts Out of Next MN Senate District 6 Special Election Candidate Forum

Candidates for the Minnesota Senate District 6 Special Election: from left to right, Republican Keri Heintzeman and DFLer Denise Slipy

On Tuesday, April 22nd, the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce is holding a forum to meet the two candidates for the empty Minnesota Senate District 6 seat, but one of those two candidates won’t be present.

Both Democrat Denise Slipy and Republican Keri Heintzeman were invited to attend the forum, but only Slipy will appear as Heintzeman turned down the opportunity for debate.

We reached out to Heintzeman for comment, who replied, “I participated in a Republican forum on April 8th, where I believe the organizers mistakenly excluded the Democratic candidate. Fairness requires granting the Democrat equal time to address the same questions I answered. Moreover, the prior forum devolved into disorder, with at least three audience members calling 911 due to the lack of decorum.”

But according to the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce, Slipy was not mistakenly left out of the forum on the 8th. Organizers say that particular event was meant for the public to meet the Republican candidates vying for the nomination.

When asked about how she felt regarding Heintzeman’s absence from Tuesday’s forum, Slipy told Lakeland News, “It’s unfortunate that people can’t see both of us and hear both of our platforms and actually have that debate to see what the vast differences are.”

Regarding the 911 calls at the prior forum, a man was escorted out of the session after repeatedly interrupting and causing a commotion during the event, causing at least two delays. The Brainerd Chamber declined to comment on the man’s actions following the April 8th forum.

The forum on Tuesday, April 22nd will be held at the Greater Lakes Association of Realtors in Baxter at 7:00 p.m. The event will also be live streamed on the Brained Chamber’s Facebook page.

The special election for Senate District 6 will be on April 29th.