Howe defeats Fricke in Senate race

Ending 18 years under Democratic representation, John Howe wrestled control of Senate District 28 back into Republican hands.

Howe defeated Democrat Joe Fricke 55 to 45 percent in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing.

The message of reducing government’s footprint “really resounded with people,” Howe said late Tuesday.

“It starts with controlling our spending and improving our business climate,” he said, echoing the message he took on the campaign trail and delivered in candidate forums. “We can’t just continually keep spending ... and not address how we’ll pay the bills.”

See Wednesday's print edition for more.

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