01/15/26: Aric has served as the State Senator for the St. Cloud Region (District 14) since January 2021, and has been a professor of communications at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University since 2003.

Senators Putnam and Rob Kupec, Minnesota Farmers Union, and other state officials held a press conference recently to discuss the impact that ICE activity is having on agriculture, farmers, and rural communities. He also recently met with a group of farmers in Hallock, and said the entire conversation revolved around healthcare affordability and access.

(Joel Heitkamp is a talk show host on the Mighty 790 KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. His award-winning program, “News & Views,” can be heard weekdays from 8 – 11 a.m. Follow Joel on X/Twitter @JoelKFGO.)