As of April 2nd, the candidates have been finalized for the Minnesota Senate District 6 seat recently vacated by Justin Eichorn. Nine candidates have thrown their names into the race, with eight Republican candidates and one DFL candidate.

Denise Slipy

Denise Slipy of Crow Wing County is the only DFL candidate in the race. Slipy works as an Environmental Health and Safety Specialist and first responder and chose to run for the open seat to give a voice back to the district.

“I’m running to be the voice of the people, all people, not just the party,” said Slipy.

Slipy noted that she believes economic development, education, and pay equity are the major issues impacting District 6 and that if she were to be elected, she would hold true to her promise of being a voice for the people by being transparent in her actions.

“It’s got to be back to the people. We keep hearing everything has to go back to the states, right? Well, now it’s time for everything to go back to the people. And I think with the marches from this weekend, that shows that the people are tired of not being heard, and they’re going to stand up and have their voice heard. And I want to be that sounding board for them,” said Slipy.

The DFL candidate would also work with her Republican counterparts to reach a common end goal.

“If I’m elected, I want to show that we can still work together. It’s time for the parties to go away. We need to actually be humans again, be kind to each other, be empathetic,” said Slipy.

Angel Zierdan

Angel Zierden of Breezy Point one of the Republican candidates. She is a business owner who has had involvement in politics and legislation for over ten years.

“I’ve always been involved in politics ever since I was young. I always knew I would run for office,” said Zierden. “I have fantastic relationships across the aisle and within the Republican party. So being able to just step right into the role and having a seat at the table, I thought would be a really good way to transition from what I was already doing.”

Zierden stated that she believes the most important issues impact District are housing, childcare, and homelessness, and that she hopes to combat these topics through bipartisanship within the Senate.

“I think that that really is the biggest challenge with a lot of people that go to the capital is that they’re not necessarily willing to sit down with the other side. They’re not willing to see other people’s point of view. And unfortunately, that we’ve seen, especially in rural Minnesota, that means that our districts end up suffering because nothing really is getting done. And so, for me, it really is digging into the issues and figuring out how to work with the other side,” said Zierden.

The Republican also made a promise to the constituents of District 6 that she would remain moderate throughout her campaign.

“I hope to open the door for other people on both sides of the aisle who don’t necessarily fit in the box of the party to come forward and really start looking at being honest with the climate in Minnesota. We are purple. We are 50-50 in the house. We are 50-50 in a lot of ways,” said Zierden.

Steve Cotariu

Steve Cotariu of Merrifield is another one of the Republican candidates. He is a businessman and former veteran, who filed to run for the District 6 seat after growing tired of dysfunction in St. Paul.

“I’m a veteran that spent a long time in the military, they kind of have this expression, lead, follow or get the heck out of the way. And I just said it was time for me to step up and do something about it,” said Cotariu.

Cotariu noted that the topics he is most concerned about are economic growth, veterans’ benefits, and education. He hopes to understand these issues better and learn how he can combat the issues within the political realm.

“Learn what the challenges are, where they are. And again, just review them and put bring a little common sense to the matter,” said Cotariu.

The republican candidate hopes to focus his time working with the other side of the aisle to help move legislation along.

“It’s when you have bipartisan work and effort. That’s when real work actually gets done. Otherwise, legislation stalls and is stymied,” said Cotariu.

Josh Gazelka

Josh Gazelka of Brainerd is another one of the Republican candidates. He is an entrepreneur and businessman who chose to run to serve the community of District 6.

“When this news broke, I felt a weight, honestly, a heaviness to step up and serve my community,” said Gazelka.

Gazelka stated that working to better the economy, high tax rates, and the education system are all top priorities for him if he were to be elected to the open Senate seat and he would work to be transparent within the senate to help combat those issues.

“There’s this perception of it’s always us versus them, especially in politics. And it doesn’t always have to be that way. We can so easily get divided into our tribes. But at the end of the day, we agree on a lot more than we disagree,” said Cotariu.

The republican candidate would also work to protect law enforcement, providing them with resources needed to do their jobs safely.

“I can’t help but have empathy for our law enforcement and pride in what they do. There’s this picture I like of a man walking through the woods that night. It’s a scary thing and there’s nobody at your back. And that is exactly what our law enforcement, especially in rural Minnesota, go through every single day,”

To hear from more District 6 Senate candidates, click here and here.

The special primary election will be held on April 15th, and the special election will be held on April 29th.