Republican Bud Heidgerken took a strong early lead in District 13A Tuesday and appeared headed for another win over his three-time opponent, DFLer Bruce Shuck.
With 79 percent of precincts reporting at 11:45 p.m., Heidgerken had 6,549 votes and Shuck had 3,161. The vote totals are according to unofficial results posted on the Secretary of State's Web site.
This is the third election in a row in which the two candidates have squared off against each other to represent District 13A in the Minnesota House. The district covers northern Kandiyohi County, southwestern Stearns County and Pope County.
Heidgerken, 63, has represented the district since 2002.
Partial returns Tuesday night showed him carrying the majority of precincts in the district.
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Shuck had faced an uphill battle in conservative Stearns County. He sought instead to build support among Democrats and court undecided voters in Kandiyohi and Pope counties.
He had a good showing in Kandiyohi County, where unofficial returns showed him with 1,017 votes to Heidgerken's 1,171 votes. Heidgerken led by more than two to one, however, in Stearns and Pope counties.
Voters in the largely rural District 13A faced a choice Tuesday between two candidates whose backgrounds held much in common.
Both Heidgerken and Shuck have roots in the area. Heidgerken is a retired teacher at Belgrade-Brooten Elrosa and the longtime owner of Charlie's Café in Freeport.
Shuck, 53, is a native of Sunburg and a one-time farmer who now works at WASP in Glenwood.
They also both have a record of public service. Heidgerken has been a school board member and on the Brooten and Freeport city councils. Shuck served eight years on the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners.
Shuck campaigned on bread-and-butter issues.
"I try to stick to the message, and the message is health care, jobs, education and the environment," he said last month.
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He also sought to sell himself to the voters as a candidate with solutions for rural and small-town Minnesota.
Heidgerken emphasized the record he has built in the Legislature over the past four years.
He was chief author of a bill that increased the financial equity for school districts with low levels of per-pupil referendum revenue. He also shepherded a bill through the 2006 Legislature that increased reimbursement for nursing homes in Stearns, Sherburne and Benton counties.
"Bringing things back to the district is important," he said during a campaign interview. "I have the ability to deliver."
