Two DFL-endorsed candidates took home sizeable victories Tuesday in primary contests to fill state Senate seats in Brooklyn Park and south Minneapolis.
Rep. Jeff Hayden and Chris Eaton will advance to their respective general elections, which are scheduled for Oct. 18. Hayden led his closest challenger in the District 61 race by a wide margin Tuesday, while Eaton won with 89 percent of the votes cast in District 46.
The primaries were held to fill the shoes of two veteran DFL legislators. Brooklyn Park Sen. Linda Scheid died this summer after serving District 46 at the Legislature for 34 years. Her colleague, Linda Berglin, resigned her District 61 seat after representing Minneapolis for nearly 40 years.
Eaton, a registered nurse, ran against only one other DFLer in the primary. Hayden, who has served in the state House since 2008, competed with five, but still managed to capture 58 percent of the votes cast.
Among those who trailed Hayden was Sadik Warfa, a tax auditor and Somali immigrant who finished second with about 28 percent of the vote.
Both districts trend Democratic -- particularly Berglin's -- giving the primaries added weight.
But several candidates from other parties are still gunning for the seats.
In south Minneapolis, Hay-den will face Republican Bruce Lundeen, Green Party candidate Farheen Hakeem and Independence Party candidate Matt Brillhart. Eaton will compete with Republican Cory Jensen and Independence Party candidate Tom Reynolds.
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Eric Roper • 651-222-1210 Twitter: @StribRoper
