St. Cloud Chamber Hosting Senate District 13 And 14 Candidate Forum

(KNSI) – The candidates squaring off to represent the region at the State Capitol will be taking part in a public forum sponsored by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce.

The forum is set for Wednesday, September 16th from 8:00 to 9:15 a.m. at the chamber office at 1411 West St. Germain Street, Suite 101, in St. Cloud. It covers both Minnesota Senate seats that take in the St. Cloud area, Districts 13 and 14.

Running in District 13 are Republican Jared Gapinski and DFLer Trent Dilks. The seat is open; Republican Sen. Jeff Howe is not seeking another term. The district wraps around St. Cloud on nearly every side, taking in Sartell, most of Sauk Rapids, Albany, Avon, Clearwater, Cold Spring, Eden Valley, Holdingford, Kimball, Paynesville, Richmond, Rockville, Roscoe, St. Anthony and St. Stephen, along with about 20 townships in Stearns and Benton counties.

District 14 features DFL incumbent Aric Putnam, first elected in 2020, against Republican Bernie Perryman, who currently represents House District 14A and is giving up that seat to run for the Senate. The district is built around St. Cloud, which straddles Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties, and also includes Waite Park, St. Augusta and one Sauk Rapids precinct. St. Joseph, St. Joseph Township and Minden Township are each split between the two districts.

The chamber says the candidates will speak to issues facing the region and local communities. The forum is put on by the chamber’s Government Affairs Division, a group of business people and volunteers who follow local, state and federal issues on behalf of chamber members. The division meets the third Wednesday of each month, and any chamber member is welcome.

The event is free to attend, but the chamber asks participants to preregister. To sign up, click here.

The general election is Tuesday, November 3rd.

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