Winona-area House seat — one of the last DFL rural holdouts — could be key to legislative control

WINONA - For the first time in 38 years, there’s an open seat to represent the Winona area in the Minnesota House.

DFL Rep. Gene Pelowski announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election after 19 terms. But his seat isn’t a lock for Democrats — the Winona area has moved more conservative in recent years. Now the contest is drawing outsized attention as the the two parties duke it out for control of the Legislature, making the race between DFLer Sarah Kruger and Republican Aaron Repinski one of the key races around the state that could determine the direction Minnesota moves toward over the next few years.

“It’s a really good opportunity for the Republicans to pick up the seat,” said Jim Cottrill, political science professor at Winona State University. “I don’t know if I’d rate it 50/50; it might be more than (that).”

Kruger and Repinski are both Winona natives. Repinski is a tour boat captain and a Winona City Council member among other jobs — volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician, as well as a part-time bailiff for Winona County. Kruger has worked in politics for years, including as a chief of staff for the nonpartisan group FairVote Minnesota championing ranked-choice voting at the Capitol in St. Paul.

She managed DFLer Jeff Ettinger’s congressional campaign in 2022. She also ran for state Senate in 2020, losing to Republican Jeremy Miller with only 42% of the vote.

Both candidates are campaigning on their strengths. Kruger uses social media more to reach out to younger voters, while Repinski touts his record of volunteering in the community — he’s one of the organizers of Steamboat Days, Winona’s annual community celebration.

Yet the candidates have found themselves under attack in recent weeks. Conservative groups found evidence Kruger had been arrested but never charged in 2022 for felony destruction of property, allegedly for destroying a fence post between her parents’ property and a neighbor’s. A civil case between Kruger’s parents and the neighbor was closed last month; attorneys have told other media outlets the neighbor admitted the allegation was false.

Kruger declined to comment on the case.

But Kruger hired former state Rep. John Lesch as an attorney to represent her in the matter, which spurred conservative political action group Renew Minnesota to question whether she lived in the Winona area. Court records in Lesch’s 2023 divorce refer to a live-in nanny named Sarah.

Kruger said Renew Minnesota’s attacks were false. She also said she’s lived in Winona since 2019 after living abroad for several years.

“Winona is my home,” she said. “I work remotely from Winona, and I commute to St. Paul and other parts of the state when necessary for my job.”

Repinski faced his own obstacles when he was recorded at a town hall for GOP U.S. Senate candidate Royce White advocating for a strict abortion ban, allowing for abortion only at five to six weeks. The Minnesota Reformer reported Repinski allegedly made those comments during a side conversation with White.

“I don’t know what the exact time frame is, but there needs to be a compromise and a conversation from both sides, and so maybe it is 5 to 6 weeks — I don’t know,” Repinski said in the recording.

Repinski said last week he was unaware he was being recorded at the time. He described himself as pro-life but didn’t offer a specific abortion policy, instead saying both sides should come together to find better compromise on the issue.

“I think the extreme law of abortion up until birth is the most extreme in the world,” Repinski said. “And I don’t think true Minnesotans believe in that.”

Minnesota allows for abortions at all stages of pregnancy as long as it’s within medical standards. Gov. Tim Walz signed major legislation last year protecting Minnesotans’ rights to abortions.

Though each candidate has taken up the attacks — Repinski questions whether Kruger is committed to Winona while Kruger says Repinski shouldn’t make medical decisions for women — they also understand they’ll be in a unique spot as a rural lawmaker.

Kruger said she’s in favor of tackling issues like cutting the Social Security tax for seniors as well as exempting vegetative buffer strips on farms from taxation. She also wants to pass more right-to-repair bills allowing farmers to repair their own equipment without having to go through manufacturers.

“I will always be voting based on what is best for the needs of our district,” she said.

Repinski said he feels the same way, as he hopes to help Minnesota tighten its budget and prevent large-scale tax increases in future years.

“You have to look at fiscal responsibility at the state level,” he said. “There needs to be transparency and there needs to be common sense.”

The race will likely be close, Cottrill said. More local-level races have become polarized as national-level politics seep into state campaigns, but Winonans will likely want to vote for the person they know, same as what they had with Pelowski, he said.

“People are really looking for a local connection,” Cottrill said.