# Josh Heintzeman *Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives (Republican, District 6B)* Joshua Heintzeman (born December 5, 1977) is a [[Minnesota]] politician who has held a seat in the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]] since 2015.[^1] The House publishes news releases under his member profile.[^2][^3][^4] He belongs to the [[Republican Party of Minnesota]]. He represents District 6B, a central Minnesota district that takes in the city of Brainerd and part of Crow Wing County.[^1] He first won the seat in 2014 over John Ward, a Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) incumbent who had served four terms, and he has won each biennial election since. His committee work centers on environment, natural resources and Legacy funding. He is the minority lead on the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee and a member of the Legacy Finance and Ways and Means committees.[^1] In April 2025 KAXE reported that he had raised $55,000 in the Senate District 6 race, four times the amount raised by the next-closest candidate.[^5] His campaign publishes its own list of accomplishments.[^6] The sources assembled for this article include no bill texts, roll-call votes or enactment records against which to check that list. The legislative positions described below rest on the Wikipedia summary of his career and are attributed to it.[^1] ## Early life, education, and career Heintzeman's birthplace is Bloomington, Minnesota. While he was still an infant, his family relocated to Motley. He earned an associate degree in business at Central Lakes College in Brainerd.[^1] Before entering the House he managed the Thirty Lakes Watershed District. He also chaired both the Crow Wing County Human Rights Commission and the Crow Wing County Republicans. He is a Brainerd Chamber of Commerce member and operates a family custom wood interiors business.[^1] ## Minnesota House of Representatives In 2019–2020 Heintzeman was an assistant minority leader. He has also sat on the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), which he co-chaired.[^1] ### Environment and natural resources According to the Wikipedia summary, as LCCMR co-chair he argued for directing lottery proceeds to local public works such as wastewater treatment plants. He also backed funding for a National Loon Center in Crosslake.[^1] He was the author of a bill funding a field trial of a test for chronic wasting disease in living deer. He has favored a state buyout of Minnesota's deer farms.[^1] In 2020 he proposed an amendment to that year's bonding bill that would have barred efforts to challenge Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline project. He has criticized the [[governor]], [[Tim Walz]], for using rulemaking to adopt tighter vehicle emission standards. He has opposed state regulation of PFAS chemicals on the ground that such action belongs at the federal level.[^1] The record assembled here does not include the amendment's text, its number, or the vote on it. ### Other political positions Wikipedia reports that Heintzeman has said private businesses should be able to decline service to same-sex couples on religious grounds. It also reports that he has raised concerns about gambling addiction in opposing the legalization of sports betting.[^1] He wrote a bill to exempt military pensions from Minnesota income tax, and he has criticized the Affordable Care Act.[^1] ## Personal life Heintzeman and [[Keri Heintzeman]] married on June 26, 1999. The couple, who live in Nisswa, have six children and homeschool them.[^1] Keri Heintzeman is the subject of her own Ballotpedia entry.[^7] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Joshua Heintzeman, born December 5, 1977; Republican member of the Minnesota House, District 6B.[^1][^8] - Keri Heintzeman, his wife, subject of a separate Ballotpedia entry.[^7] - John Ward, the four-term DFL incumbent Heintzeman defeated in 2014.[^1] ### What - The House has issued news releases under Heintzeman's member profile, including one that the project's source index labels a "2A" release.[^2][^3][^4][^9] The assembled record does not summarize what these releases say. - His campaign publishes an *Accomplishments* page. This is a self-report, and the assembled record contains no legislative documents against which to test it.[^6] ### When - 2014: elected to the House; seated in 2015; reelected every two years since.[^1] - 2019–2020: assistant minority leader.[^1] - 2020: offered a bonding-bill amendment concerning the Line 3 pipeline.[^1] - April 14, 2025: KAXE fundraising report on the Senate District 6 race.[^5] ### Where - District 6B, which takes in Brainerd and parts of Crow Wing County; his residence is in Nisswa.[^1] ### How much - $55,000 raised in the Senate District 6 race, as of KAXE's April 14, 2025 report, four times the next-closest candidate.[^5] - Transparency USA maintains a campaign finance page for the Joshua Heintzeman candidate committee (PCC).[^10] ### How many - Six children.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Josh Heintzeman* (revision 1365650287, retrieved 2026-10-26) — birth date, district, party, election history, committee roles, positions and personal details. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Heintzeman [^2]: Minnesota House of Representatives, *Member news release, Rep. Josh Heintzeman* (undated) — release issued under Heintzeman's House member profile. https://house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15435/38300 [^3]: Minnesota House of Representatives, *Member news release, Rep. Josh Heintzeman* (undated) — release issued under Heintzeman's House member profile. https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15435/48070 [^4]: Minnesota House of Representatives, *Member news release, Rep. Josh Heintzeman* (undated) — release issued under Heintzeman's House member profile. https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15435/49578 [^5]: KAXE, *Heintzeman raises $55,000, four times next-closest candidate in MN Senate District 6 race* (2025-04-14; title as given in the URL) — fundraising figure and comparison. https://www.kaxe.org/elections/2025-04-14/heintzeman-raises-55000-four-times-next-closest-candidate-mn-senate-district-6-race [^6]: Joshua Heintzeman campaign, *Accomplishments* (undated) — campaign's self-reported list. https://joshheintzeman.com/accomplishments/ [^7]: Ballotpedia, *Keri Heintzeman* (undated) — separate entry for his spouse. https://ballotpedia.org/Keri_Heintzeman [^8]: Ballotpedia, *Josh Heintzeman* (undated) — reference profile. https://ballotpedia.org/Josh_Heintzeman [^9]: Minnesota House of Representatives, *Member news release, Rep. Josh Heintzeman* (undated) — release labelled "2A" in the project's source index. https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15435/51270 [^10]: Transparency USA, *Joshua Heintzeman PCC* (undated) — campaign finance page for his candidate committee. https://www.transparencyusa.org/mn/candidate/joshua-heintzeman-pcc