- Incumbent Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson is facing off against former Lt. Gov Michelle Fishbach in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District.
- Polls began closing in the district at 9 p.m. local time.
- The largely rural district covers almost the entire western edge of the state, and could be one of the most promising pickup opportunities for House Republicans this cycle.
- The congressional district is one of 30 House districts won by President Donald Trump in 2016 that is also represented by a Democrat.
- See the live coverage and full results from all US House elections.
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Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson will face former Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach in the race for Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District.
The candidates
Incumbent Peterson is the House Agriculture Committee Chair, and is the most senior US representative from Minnesota, having held his seat in the House since 1991.
He’s also the chairman of the powerful House Agriculture Committee, an extremely influential position on Capitol Hill, and one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress. Peterson supports gun rights, for example, to a far greater extent than many of his Democratic colleagues. But his views and his focus on agricultural and rural areas have helped him remain a strong fit for his district and allowed him to be consistently reelected in his Republican-trending district.
Peterson’s Republican challenger, Michelle Fischbach, is the former lieutenant governor of Minnesota, serving from 2018 to 2019, as well as the first female president of the Minnesota Senate. Her campaign platform emphasizes supporting the district’s farmers, protecting the Second Amendment, and opposing abortion.
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The district
Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District, which covers almost the entire western edge of the state, is one of 30 congressional districts won by President Donald Trump in 2016 but represented by a Democrat.
The 7th District is the Democratic-controlled district that Trump carried by the greatest margin, winning it by 30 percentage points over Hillary Clinton, in 2016.
It is the largest congressional district in Minnesota, occupying most of the Western part of the state and stretching from the Canadian border down to the southern part of the state. Its largest cities include Fergus Falls, Willmar, Moorhead, and Alexandria.
The money race
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Peterson has raised $2.2 million, spent $1.8 million, and has over $976,000 in cash on hand compared to $1.9 million raised, $1.2 million spent, and $713,000 cash on hand for Fischbach.
What some of the experts say
The fight for Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District seat is rated as “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report, and Inside Elections and “leans Republican” by Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
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