
Minnesota Senate seat vacated by Justin Eichorn will be filled in Tuesday's special election
Voters in northern Minnesota are heading to the polls on Tuesday to determine who will fill the state Senate seat vacated by Justin Eichorn, who resigned following allegations he tried to pay a teenager for sex.
Republican Keri Heintzeman and Democrat Denise Slipy are on the ballot to replace Eichorn in Senate District 6, which leans GOP and includes the Brainerd Lakes area.
Eichorn pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of attempted coercion or enticement of a minor earlier this month. He was arrested as part of an online prostitution sting in Bloomington in March, authorities said. He is currently at a halfway house in Duluth.
Keri Heintzeman, a former Trump campaign worker and wife of GOP state Rep. Josh Heintzeman, won the Republican primary in the race earlier this month. Slipy, a first responder and environmental health and safety professional, ran unopposed on the DFL side.
Last week, the Minnesota DFL filed a complaint against Keri Heintzeman, alleging she ignored campaign contribution limits by accepting more than the maximum allowed from nine different donors. In response, she called the complaint "a baseless effort to smear my reputation just before the election."
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Your polling place can be found on the secretary of state's website.
Democrats hold a two-vote majority in the Senate, so Tuesday's special election will not change the balance of power, no matter the result. Whoever wins will take the oath of office in early May ahead of the crucial final weeks before the legislative session must end on May 19.
WCCO will have the results of Tuesday's special election once ballots are counted.

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Los Angeles Times
29 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Mexican president condemns L.A. violence, calls on Mexicans to act peacefully
MEXICO CITY — As images of chaos in Los Angeles dominated Mexican media, President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the weekend clashes but refrained from any direct denunciation of Washington's hard-line immigration tactics — while urging Mexican citizens in California to eschew violence. Sheinbaum, who has won widespread acclaim for her deft handling of incendiary pronouncements by President Trump on tariffs, drug smuggling and other issues, again sought to walk a fine line: She called on U.S. authorities to 'respect the human dignity' of 'hard-working' and 'honest' Mexican immigrants, while denouncing unlawful acts. 'Burning patrol cars seems more like an act of provocation than one of resistance,' Sheinbaum said Monday. A day earlier, the president had been more pointed in her critique of U.S. immigration roundups, which have drawn widespread outrage here. 'The immigration phenomenon cannot be dealt with through violence or raids,' Sheinbaum told a crowd Sunday at a hospital ribbon-cutting outside the capital. News reports and social media accounts in Mexico have widely circulated images of U.S. agents in tactical gear facing off against protesters baring Mexican flags. 'We call on the government of the United States to avoid any act of repression and rectify its unjust and arbitrary policy against millions of immigrants,' Gerardo Fernández Noroña, president of the Mexican Senate and a member of Sheinbaum's ruling Morena bloc, told reporters. On the streets in Mexico City, many Mexicans focused not on the protests, but recent raids by immigration agents in Southern California. They assailed what they viewed as unwarranted attacks against compatriots and relatives. 'I have some cousins living in California and they're very worried and frightened about the raids,' said Alejandra Morales, 47, who works in a rehab clinic in the capital. 'They are good people who only seek a better life for their kids. Trump may ruin their lives.' Said Sofía González, 32, a veterinarian: 'I think President Sheinbaum should be very forceful in her protests against Trump. We've had enough of Trump doing crazy things and maltreating Mexicans.' In her comments, Sheinbaum expressed appreciation to Los Angeles for having provided a home for generations of Mexican immigrants and their families. Mexican citizens are the largest immigrant group in the United States, numbering more than 11 million, according to various estimates. Mexican-born immigrants are widely dispersed across the country, though Los Angeles is still seen here as the capital of the Mexican disapora. Los Angeles 'has been generous, and we Mexicans have been generous with this city,' Sheinbaum said. According to the Mexican foreign ministry, 42 Mexican citizens were arrested in the recent raids, 37 men and 5 women. Four had previous removal orders and have already been expelled back to Mexico; two others agreed to return to Mexico voluntarily. Ronald Johnson, the U.S. ambassador in Mexico City, defended the Trump administration crackdown, while also praising Mexico and its people. 'The violent protesters in LA don't represent the Mexican people: dignified and hard-working, that we know and respect,' Johnson wrote in Spanish on X. 'Our actions protect every community and reinforce the rule of law. Mexico is our partner and our nations are profoundly united.' Sheinbaum's reaction to the clashes in Los Angeles is in line with her efforts to avoid disputes with the Trump administration. Her motto has been: 'cooperation, not subjugation.' The president has criticized Trump's mass deportation agenda, but said that Mexico welcomes its deported citizens. To date, Mexican authorities say, deportations from the United States to Mexico have not spiked, despite the Trump administration policies. In recent years, the United States has removed about 200,000 Mexican citizens back to Mexico each year. Special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal contributed.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump sends troops to Los Angeles after immigration crackdown protests: What to know
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As word spread of another possible ICE raid at a Home Depot in Paramount, protesters descended upon a nearby Department of Homeland Security (DHS) office. Federal authorities, however, later said that no action was planned for that location. Federal authorities said the weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the Los Angeles area rose to more than 100 — not including the arrests that took place during the protests. The president took notice this weekend of the rowdy demonstrations, which included instances of vandalized cars and property in the greater Los Angeles areas. He dared local authorities to respond more forcefully, noting the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had not initially been involved in responding to the protests. The LAPD also confirmed it was not involved. Trump said Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) were to blame for the unrest that began as a result of ICE raids. 'If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. Trump on Saturday announced he authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard soldiers. By Sunday afternoon, about 300 troops were stationed in three locations in the greater Los Angeles area. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move is a result of 'violent mobs' attacking 'Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations' in recent days. Trump said Sunday that he directed relevant Cabinet officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, 'to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots.' Hegseth said Sunday morning that Marines were ready to be deployed to Los Angeles if needed. A statement from U.S. Northern Command on Sunday indicated that approximately 500 U.S. Marines are 'in a prepared to deploy status should they be necessary to augment and support the [Defense Department's] protection of federal property and personnel efforts.' Democrats across the country have sharply pushed back against the administration's move to federalize the National Guard. Newsom and Bass have been particularly forceful in pushing back against the administration's efforts. Newsom warned the federal response is 'inflammatory' and said deploying soldiers 'will erode public trust.' 'LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment's notice,' Newsom wrote in a Saturday X post. 'We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need.' Newsom's office on Sunday sent a letter to Hegseth's office asking him to rescind the order deploying armed forces into the city. He also vowed to sue the Trump administration for bypassing his consent in federalizing the California National Guard. Bass urged protesters to remain peaceful but slammed the troop deployment as a 'chaotic escalation' amid rising tensions. 'What we're seeing in our city is chaos provoked by the Trump Administration,' Bass said in a message to Los Angeles residents late Sunday. 'When you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armored caravans through our streets, you cause fear and panic,' she added. 'And deployment of federalized troops on the heels of raids is a chaotic escalation.' All 23 Democratic governors issued a statement Sunday afternoon slamming Trump's decision to federalize California's National Guard by using a law that hasn't been used in decades, arguing it was both unnecessary and escalatory. Former Vice President Kamala Harris also criticized the deployment of troops in her home city of Los Angeles, calling it a 'dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos.' 'This Administration's actions are not about public safety — they're about stoking fear,' she added. 'Fear of a community demanding dignity and due process.' She also stressed her support for peaceful protests, saying, 'I continue to support the millions of Americans who are standing up to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms.' The federalization of the California National Guard represents a rare and legally murky step that bypassed Newsom's consent. The last time the federal government mobilized National Guard members without the consent of a governor was in 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson sent guard members to Selma, Ala., to protect civil rights protesters there. 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Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Judge denies Michael Madigan's motion for new trial, setting stage for high-stakes sentencing Friday
A federal judge on Monday denied a motion by former House Speaker Michael Madigan seeking to overturn his recent conviction on bribery and other corruption counts, setting the stage for a high-stakes sentencing hearing later this week. Madigan, 83, was back in the federal courtroom for the first time since a jury convicted him nearly four months ago. But unlike his marathon trial, Monday's hearing was brief. After both sides waived oral arguments on the defense motion, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey announced he was denying it, though his ruling, which he said is more than 100 pages long, won't be made public for some time. Madigan sat through the 15-minute hearing without comment and walked out carrying an umbrella. Blakey is holding another hearing Tuesday to go over issues on the sentencing guidelines in Madigan's case, which hinge partly on how much money ComEd stood to gain because of legislation the speaker helped usher through the legislative process. Madigan's attorneys are also asking Blakey to strike language from a prosecution filing last Friday revealing for the first time publicly that Madigan 'has amassed a personal fortune of more than $40 million' — a disclosure reported by the Tribune over the weekend. The defense wrote in a motion filed ahead of Monday's hearing that Madigan served the public as a legislator and lawyer for more than 60 years and 'chose frugality over extravagance, remaining in the same modest home for more than fifty years while making prudent savings and investment choices.' 'The government offers zero evidence—absolutely nothing—to justify broadcasting specific details about his net worth,' the motion stated. 'The government's decision to splash his personal financial information across a public filing represents a gross breach of the rules.' Blakey said he'd take up the issue on Tuesday. Madigan's sentencing, set for Friday afternoon, is one of the most highly anticipated hearings in years at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. Prosecutors have asked for a hefty 12 1/2 year prison term and $1.5 million fine, while the defense is seeking probation along with a period of home confinement. Madigan's defense team filed a motion in March arguing for a new trial in his corruption case, saying prosecutors failed to prove the then-powerful Democrat knew about a scheme by ComEd to pay off his associates and alleging Blakey made a series of mistakes in his evidentiary rulings. The 73-page motion alleged those errors tainted the jury with highly prejudicial evidence, and asked Blakey to reverse the jury's verdict on certain guilty counts and grant a new trial on others. Among the missteps that Madigan's legal team says warrants a new trial: letting in a now-infamous FBI wiretap where Madigan tells his longtime confidant, Michael McClain, that some ComEd contractors 'made out like bandits' for little work; allowing the jury to hear prejudicial testimony about sexual harassment allegations; and including a recorded phone call between McClain and the speaker's son, Andrew Madigan, about another public utility, Peoples Gas, being forced to make political hires. The defense filing also argued that despite the jury's guilty verdict, prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Madigan knew about any scheme to enrich his friends or that there was a 'this-for-that' agreement to help shepherd ComEd's legislation in Springfield. 'Michael Madigan is not corrupt. He never exchanged his duty to serve his constituents for private benefit — the essence of corruption,' the filing stated. 'For decades, Madigan sought to ensure ComEd did not get away with ripping off consumers in Illinois. Madigan's primary purpose was to work hard for his community and the Democratic party.' Such post-trial motions are routine and rarely granted. But the filing provides a blueprint for a likely appeal to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Madigan's trial capped one of the most significant political corruption investigations in Chicago's checkered history. It also cemented an extraordinary personal fall for Madigan, the longest-serving state legislative leader in the nation's history who for decades held an iron-tight grip on the House as well as the state Democratic Party. After 11 days of deliberation, the jury's final verdict was mixed. Madigan was convicted of 10 of 23 counts, including marquee allegations that he agreed to squeeze lucrative, do-nothing contracts from ComEd for pals such as former Alds. Frank Olivo and Michael Zalewski and precinct captains Ray Nice and Edward Moody, all while the utility won a series of major legislation victories. Madigan was also convicted on six out of seven counts — including wire fraud and Travel Act violations — regarding a plan to get ex-Ald. Daniel Solis, a key FBI mole who testified at length in the trial, appointed to a state board. Jurors deadlocked on all six counts related to Madigan's co-defendant McClain. jmeisner@