GOP Flips Another House Seat, This Time in Minnesota
A Republican challenger has defeated the incumbent Democratic representative in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District.
Republican Michelle Fischbach, a former Minnesota State Senate president and lieutenant governor who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, had garnered 53.4 percent of the vote compared to 39.9 percent for Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Rep. Collin Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, as of Wednesday morning, according to The New York Times.
Michelle @FischbachMN7 is running for Congress in Minnesota. Michelle will protect the unborn, is Strong on Crime & Borders, Cutting Taxes, your #2A, Loves our Military, Vets, & will stand w/ our Great Farmers. Michelle has my Complete & Total Endorsement! https://t.co/qwz5F64dQn
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 2, 2020
Fischbach’s talking points challenged Peterson’s nearly three decades in office, with the Republican “saying there should not be lifetime politicians and the district needed a fresh face in Washington,” according to the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune.
“I am honored to have the outpouring of support from Minnesota families across #mn07,” Fischbach tweeted Wednesday.
I am honored to have the outpouring of support from Minnesota families across #mn07. I am grateful for the backing and am excited to hit the ground running in Washington to work on behalf of MN. pic.twitter.com/aYIQ1QaepB
— Michelle Fischbach (@FischbachMN7) November 4, 2020
“I am grateful for the backing and am excited to hit the ground running in Washington to work on behalf of MN.”
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Peterson also acknowledged voters’ decision in a Facebook post, saying he understood their choice “to move in a different direction.”
“We ran a strong and positive campaign, but with the President winning this district by 30 points again, and the millions in outside money that was spent to attack me, the partisan tilt of this district was just too much to overcome,” he wrote.
Republican advertisements attempted to tie Peterson to Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and fellow Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.
“Peterson, a Blue Dog Democrat, pushed back on that narrative in his own ads, touting his vote against impeachment and his support for law enforcement,” according to the Star Tribune.
According to MinnPost, Fischbach was recruited by U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and GOP Rep. Tom Emmer, and backed by Minnesota State Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and Minnesota House of Representatives Republican Leader Kurt Daudt.
Emmer offered his congratulations to Fischbach on Wednesday.
Couldn’t be more proud of my friend Michelle @FischbachMN7. https://t.co/jBtN5TmtTi
— Tom Emmer (@tomemmer) November 4, 2020
“Couldn’t be more proud of my friend Michelle,” he tweeted.
MinnPost reported Fischbach served in Minnesota’s state senate between 1996 and 2018, was lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2019, and ran in 2018 as former Minnesota Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s running mate in his unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
