New vacancy arises in Minnesota Legislature after Eichorn’s sudden Senate resignation
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A special election will fill the Senate seat Justin Eichorn has now resigned, and for the Legislature it’s yet another vacancy in a session defined by them.
Eichorn’s decision Thursday to go wasn’t entirely surprising. His fellow Republicans and Democrats planned to band together to push him out, completing a swift downfall after an arrest this week on disturbing allegations.
Hours after his resignation became official, the Republican also appeared in court for the first time on an attempted coercion and enticement of a minor charge that could bring significant prison time.
A criminal complaint alleges that Eichorn drove his truck from the Capitol to the suburbs for what he thought would be a meetup with someone he met through a prostitution ad. He was arrested Monday night in Bloomington as part of a multi-agency sting operation. He faces a potential 10-year prison term if convicted.
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According to the charges, Eichorn had communicated with the person — who turned out to be a police detective — over several days. Their messages were explicit. Those messages noted she was 17 and that didn’t dissuade the then-lawmaker from the meetup.
Instead of a teenage girl, Eichorn was met by police, who found him with two phones, cash and a condom. He had been caught up in a prostitution sting aimed at people trying to exploit minors.
He has been jailed since, but a judge granted his release to a halfway house once he is able to arrange one that meets all the conditions.
The signs of Eichorn’s Senate departure were subtle. His name was off the voting board and the front of his desk. Just minutes earlier, Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, announced that Eichorn was out. Secretary of the Senate Tom Bottern read off his letter:
“Governor Walz, I am resigning my seat in the Minnesota Senate for District Six, effective immediately. I must focus on personal matters at this time, it has been an honor to serve in the Minnesota Senate. Sincerely, Justin Eichorn.”
And President Bobby Joe Champion moved on with the calendar for the day.
The mood was somber as the Senate completed its work and resolutions and adjourned. In dueling news conferences, Republicans and Democrats sounded relieved they did not have to make history with a vote to expel.
“There’s a line in the sand. Look, if you’re accused with a felony, I think that’s serious enough, our law has distinguished it as a very serious crime. This clearly is a very serious crime,” Johnson said. “And so we’re going to do the right thing as a caucus, and we move forward in a very decisive way.”
Johnson said the resignation removes a distraction for lawmakers as they enter the height of the legislative session.
DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy of St. Paul said Democrats want to respect the will of the voters but these allegations were beyond the pale.
“We have young interns, young pages who come to work in this place every day. We have young staff who work here every day, and that predatory behavior is really incompatible with the public nature of the work that we do,” she said. “And we concluded that it would be right, though unprecedented, to vote to expel.”
Republicans left the door open to revisiting the legal cloud around Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, who was arrested last April and faces burglary charges. Her trial is scheduled for June.
Murphy said the two situations are different and deserve to be treated as such.
“They are night-and-day situations,” Murphy said. “Senator Mitchell has allegedly broken into her father's home to acquire his ashes. Mr. Eichorn was out trying to buy sex with a minor.”
For now, the Senate has 34 Democrats and 32 Republicans. Gov. Tim Walz had not yet set a date for a special election in Senate District 6 as of Thursday night.
One Republican candidate has already taken a step. Keri Heintzeman registered a campaign committee. She is the wife of state Rep. Josh Heintzeman, R-Nisswa.
Former DFL House candidate Emily LeClaire confirms with MPR News that she intends to run for the vacant seat. LeClaire, of Brainerd, lost to Rep. Heintzeman in 2024.
In the St. Paul federal courtroom where Eichorn made his first court appearance, he was ushered in by U.S. marshals and sat down next to a public defender.
He was dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans.
Magistrate Judge Shannon Elkins asked Eichorn if he understood the charge against him, adding he did not have to agree with them. And Eichorn responded with “yes.”
Elkins also set conditions for his release. He must be kept under GPS surveillance, restricted from using the internet.
He can’t possess any firearms. He will surrender his passport and travel documents and be unable to be around people under the age of 18 without supervision of an adult who understands his charges.
Eichorn’s next hearing is March 26.