Rep. Collin Peterson, the only remaining House Democrat to vote against both articles of impeachment, brought in less during the last fundraising quarter than his prominent Republican foe.
Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, raised $175,000 during the final three months of 2019. Michelle Fischbach, a former state Senate president and one of several Republicans vying for her party’s nomination, raised $364,000 during that same period.
Peterson, 75, remains in the fundraising lead, with $1 million cash in the bank compared to Fishbach’s $600,000. Still, the fundraising totals suggest Peterson faces a difficult reelection battle to retain the seat he first won in 1990. The district, sitting along the North Dakota and South Dakota state lines, went for Trump, a Republican, in 2016 by a margin of 30.5 points.
Peterson opposed both of impeachment counts against Trump that were passed by the House on Dec. 18. Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey was the only other Democrat to do so, but he soon became a Republican.
House Republicans see Minnesota’s 7th District as a prime pickup opportunity. Fischbach is positioning herself as a Trump-backing conservative. Fischbach favors Trump’s border wall with Mexico and says she is anti-abortion and pro-Second Amendment. She is married to the leader of Minnesota’s largest anti-abortion organization.
She was a Minnesota state senator for 22 years, starting in 1996, and for a year was Minnesota lieutenant governor when Democratic incumbent Tina Smith was tapped by the governor to replace Al Franken in the U.S. Senate.
Peterson, a founding member of the House’s fiscally conservative “Blue Dog Coalition,” has the most moderate voting record of any member of his caucus, according to the voting rating of the Almanac of American Politics. He votes against his party 14% of the time.
