Elections: 2006 Candidate Profiles

Minnesota - House (7)

District Geography | Summary | History | Outlook | Polls

Collin C. Peterson (DFL, 8-term incumbent)

Website: www.petersonforcongress.com

Michael J. Barrett (Republican)

Website: www.barrettforcongress06.com

Ken Lucier (Constitution)

Website: www.kenlucierforcongress.com

District Geography:

Minnesota's 7th Congressional District comprises counties along the western rim of the state: Becker, Big Stone, Chippewa, Clay, Clearwater, Douglas, Grant, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Lac Qui Parle, Lake of the Woods, Lincoln, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, McLeod, Meeker, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Redwood, Renville, Roseau, Sibley, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wilkin, Yellow Medicine, and parts of Beltrami and Stearns counties.

Summary:

Eight-term DFL incumbent Collin C. Peterson is one of approximately three-dozen "blue dog" democrats in the US House. Peterson, who sits on the Agricultural Committee, has been known to cross party lines, and is a strong advocate of fiscal conservatism. Peterson is currently campaigning for a Balanced Budget Amendment, developing fair trade policies, and ensuring access to affordable, quality health care in rural areas.

Peterson will square off against Republican pharmacist Mike Barrett, whose platform includes an opposition to amnesty for illegal immigrants, a constitutional ban against gay marriage, increased investment in biofuels and alternative energy sources, and "the patience to win in Iraq."

Also on the ticket is Constitution Party candidate and retired US Postal worker Ken Lucier, who is campaigning to bring home U.S. troops from Iraq, to resurrect the SDI program, to deport illegal immigrants, to support the Marriage Protection Act, and to return abortion rights decisions back to the states.

History:

Peterson defeated seven-term GOP incumbent Arlan Stangeland by 7.1 points in 1990. Peterson then narrowly won in 1992 (by 1.3 points) and 1994 (2.6 points) before thoroughly dominating his GOP counterparts from 1996-2002 by an average margin of victory of 37 points. In 2004 Peterson beat his Republican opponent David Sturrock by 32 points.

Outlook:

Peterson's consistent routs of his Republican opponents for nearly a decade mask the fact that the 7th is a fairly conservative district - by Minnesota standards - voting for George W. Bush in the 2000 election. While a democrat might not be safe in Western Minnesota, a blue-dog democrat like Peterson (who has a $209K to $2K advantage over Barrett in cash on hand for his campaign) probably is.

Polls:

None.