Fourteen-term Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, a regular target of Republicans as a Democrat in a GOP-leaning district, told Roll Call that he’s running for another term. “Yeah, I’m running. I’ve got 700 grand in the bank,” the Democratic leader on the House Agriculture Committee told the Capitol Hill newspaper.
Peterson is one of three Minnesota Democrats on the Agriculture Committee; all three had comparatively close races in 2016. One of them, Tim Walz, is running for the party nomination for governor. The other, Rick Nolan, is considering a run for governor.
Two Republicans are announced against Peterson, says the site U.S. Elections. They are Dave Hughes, the 2016 GOP nominee, and state Rep. Tim Miller. Roll Call says Peterson is one of the most conservative Democrats in the House “and he represents an agriculture-heavy 7th District that would likely flip to the Republicans if he ever called it quits.”
Peterson is heavily engaged in work on the 2018 farm bill. He told the North American Agricultural Journalists this week that the two-headed safety net of the 2014 farm law as inadequate. “Half the people who chose ARC last time will choose PLC this time. It’s a better safety net,” said Peterson, referring to the insurance-like Agriculture Risk Coverage subsidy and the traditionally styled Price Loss Coverage subsidy.