- Former Lt. Gov.
Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota has defeated the Democratic incumbent Rep.Collin Peterson to win control of the state's 7th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ. - The largely rural district covers almost the entire western edge of the state.
- The congressional district is one of 30 House districts won by Donald Trump in 2016 that are currently represented by Democrats.
- See the live coverage and full results from all US House elections.
Former Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota has defeated the Democratic incumbent Rep. Collin Peterson to become the next representative of the state's 7th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ.
The candidates
Peterson 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 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 had 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, 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 emphasized 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 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 raised $2.2 million, spent $1.8 million, and has over $976,000 in cash on hand, compared with $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 was rated as a "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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