District 13 Senate, House Candidates Face Off at Sartell Forum

(KNSI) – Voters in Minnesota’s Legislative District 13 will get a chance to hear from all six candidates running for the Senate and House at a forum next week.

The forum is set for Wednesday, October 7th, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Sartell Community Center, 850 19th Street South.

In the Senate race, Republican Jared Gapinski faces Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate Trent Dilks. The seat is open this year. Republican Jeff Howe of Rockville, who has held the seat since 2018, is retiring after two terms. Gapinski, who represents District 4 on the Benton County Commission, won the August Republican primary over Aaron Brutger with nearly 66% of the vote. Dilks, a veteran, ran unopposed for the DFL nomination.

The two House seats in the district are also open. In District 13A, Republican Tanja Goering faces DFLer Arlis Sayler. The seat opened after House Speaker Lisa Demuth launched a campaign for governor. In District 13B, Republican Dawn Loberg is running against DFLer Justin Doyle.

The Senate 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 13A is the most rural of the area’s House districts, including Cold Spring and Paynesville, while District 13B stretches from Sauk Rapids and Sartell to Holdingford and St. Stephen.

The forum is free and open to the public. The general election is Tuesday, November 3rd.

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