Seifert wins seat in Senate District 15
Chris Knoll secures victory in MN Senate District 21
Trending
Braxton Seifert was the victor in Tuesday's election for Minnesota Senate District 15.
The Minnesota Secretary of State's Office reported that district-wide, Seifert (R-Marshall) had over 66% of the vote, with an unofficial vote total of 25,173. DFL candidate Andrea Boettger, of New Ulm, had an unofficial vote total of 12,517.
SD 15 includes Lac qui Parle, Yellow Medicine, Lyon, Redwood, Brown and parts of Blue Earth and Chippewa Counties.
"I am humbled to receive the support from the voters," Seifert said Wednesday.
The road to the election was one that involved visits to dozens of communities, and miles of parade marching.
"It's definitely a marathon running for office, not a sprint," he said.
However, Seifert said he had a lot of good conversations along the way, and he looked forward to continuing to hear from constituents.
By and large, the campaign did very well, he said. Seifert compared his performance in this year's election to Sen. Gary Dahms' past vote totals. In 60 precincts in SD 15, Seifert did as well or better than Dahms, he said.
"It shows that the hard work paid off," Seifert said.
Seifert said he hopes to be able to work across the aisle in the state Legislature. Seifert noted that newly-elected Minnesota Gov. Amy Klobuchar has promised not to raise taxes. He said he was looking forward to working with Klobuchar, and holding her to her promise. Seifert said he has also had a chance to talk with newly-elected Lt. Gov. Ben Schierer, who shares a connection to living in western Minnesota.
Seifert said his first big goals as a state senator included supporting infrastructure funding for rural communities, and addressing affordability issues in Minnesota. He said he also planned to be part of town hall meetings in the coming weeks.
Republicans were also victorious in Minnesota Senate District 21, which includes Lincoln, Pipestone, Murray, Cottonwood, Rock, Nobles, Jackson, and parts of Watonwan and Martin Counties. The Secretary of State's Office reported that Republican candidate Chris Knoll received about 67% of the vote, with a total of 23,002 votes district-wide. DFL candidate Caitlyn Sanow-Minett received an unofficial vote total of 11,257.