GROVE CITY -- Sen. Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson, held a substantial lead in early returns Tuesday in Minnesota Senate District 18.
Unofficial returns showed that Newman had collected 6,262 votes as of 12:15 a.m. Wednesday. Challenger Steven Schiroo, of Cokato, had received 4,669 votes. There were 37 of 85 precincts reporting.
District 18 includes all of Meeker, McLeod and Sibley counties, plus the City of Cokato and Cokato Township in Wright County.
Newman, 65, will return to St. Paul for a second term in the Senate. He previously served two terms in the state House of Representatives District 18A from 2004 to 2007. Schiroo, 26, was the DFL-endorsed candidate in the district.
