Contested Races Take Shape Across St. Cloud Area as Filing Closes

(KNSI) – The candidate filing period closed Tuesday and voters across Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns counties will decide a number of contested races this fall, from an open seat on the St. Cloud City Council to a Republican primary challenge facing the area’s congressman.

Where needed, a primary will be held August 11th, with the general election November 3rd.

In St. Cloud, three of the four ward seats drew more than one candidate. Ward 4 is an open seat, with Council President Mike Conway not on the ballot, and it drew the largest field among the city races. Amaan Abdi, Joe Baratta, Craig Heurung, and Zak X have filed for the seat. In Ward 1, incumbent Dave Masters is seeking reelection against Charlie Hobbs and Dreyton Nichols. Ward 3 incumbent Hudda Ibrahim faces a single challenger in Luke Christian. Ward 2 incumbent Karen Larson drew no opponent.

Because three or more candidates filed in Wards 1 and 4, those two races head to an August 11th primary, with the top two in each advancing to November.

In Sauk Rapids, three candidates are running for two at-large City Council seats. Incumbent Nick Sauer filed for reelection and is joined on the ballot by Joe Kampa and Christian Kirmeier. The seat held by Ellen Thronson is open.

In Benton County, the race for sheriff is wide open. Sheriff Troy Heck is not seeking reelection, and two candidates filed to replace him are James “Jay” Dingmann and Joel Schmidt. The County Auditor-Treasurer’s office is also contested, with incumbent Christine Scherbing facing Mary Lewandowski.

Sherburne County has three contested countywide races. The County Commissioner District 3 seat drew three candidates. They are Matt Bischoff, Gregg Felber, and Mark Swanson. Brenda Davis and Michael Tonsager are running for County Auditor, and Hans Larson and Dawn Nyhus are competing for County Attorney.

In Stearns County, the higher-profile offices stayed quiet. Commissioners Tarryl Clark, Jeff Bertram, and Bob Johnson, along with Sheriff Steve Soyka, County Attorney Janelle Kendall, and Auditor-Treasurer Randy Schreifels, all drew no challengers. The county’s two contested races are both for Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor. Kyle McClure faces Chad Van Beck in District 1, and Thomas Gregory takes on Sarah Schulze in District 5.

For the St. Cloud Area School District 742 board, six candidates filed for three at-large seats, the deepest field on the local ballot. Incumbent Heather Weems is seeking another term and is joined by Al Dahlgren, Sonia Eizenhoefer, Robert Galler Jr., Vincent Miles, and Steven Schiller. Board members Zachary Dorholt and Natalie Copeland did not file for reelection. With six candidates for three seats, the race skips the August primary, and all six will appear on the November ballot.

Several area legislative seats also drew multiple candidates. In Senate District 14, Republican Bernie Perryman and DFLer Aric Putnam will square off. Senate District 13 features a Republican primary between Aaron Brutger and Jared Gapinski, with the winner facing DFLer Trent Dilks in November.

In the House, District 13A pits Republican Tanja Goering against DFLer Arlis Sayler, and District 13B has Republican Dawn Loberg against DFLer Justin Doyle. District 14A is contested on both sides, with a Republican primary between Mike Conway and John Jose and a DFL primary between Abdi Daisane and Paul Schumacher. In District 14B, Republican Sue Ek faces DFLer Zach Dorholt.

At the federal level, the marquee race is in the 6th Congressional District, where incumbent Republican Tom Emmer faces a primary challenge. Emmer, the House Majority Whip, who has represented the district since 2015, won the Republican endorsement with 91.2% of the first-ballot vote at the May convention, but challenger Mike Foley said he would not abide by the endorsement and plans to continue his campaign. Chris Corey, who challenged Emmer in 2024, also filed. The Republican winner will face DFLer Doug Chapin in November.

In the 7th Congressional District, incumbent Republican Michelle Fischbach drew no primary opponent, while Steve Carlson and Erik Osberg will meet in a DFL primary. Hometown Source

More information about the candidates can be found here.

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