Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, a conservative Democrat, has found unexpected acclaim for pledging to vote the same way at his party’s presidential convention in late July as his constituents did in the March 1 caucuses: for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. “This is probably one of the most popular things I’ve ever done, being for Bernie Sanders,” Peterson told North American Agricultural Journalists. There are letters from across the nation, he said, and questions from fellow lawmakers, as well as stories on Salon, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos and Politico.
Peterson is part of a comparative handful of super delegates backing Sanders, which explains part of the attention he receives. Sanders has 39 super delegates and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton has 518, according to RealClear Politics. Super delegates get their nickname because they are elected officials who automatically are convention delegates, rather than having to run for a delegate slot.
“I will go [to the convention] if we’re going to have a vote and make a difference,” said Peterson, who recalled that he and Sanders were elected to the House in the same year, 1990. He complimented Sanders for raising the issue of income inequality, said “we get along on dairy” and hold similarly skeptical views on trade agreements and gun control.
Asked about Clinton, Peterson said, “She’s from Arkansas,” and with that background “I think she understands agriculture” and would be easier to work with than the Obama administration.