PAYNESVILLE, Minn. — Former Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Michelle Fischbach plans to run for Congress.
On Labor Day, Fischbach announced plans to challenge longtime Democratic Congressman Collin Peterson in western Minnesota's 7th District. Peterson was first elected to the seat in 1990.
“Western Minnesota families deserve a representative who will fight for their values in Washington and support President Trump’s agenda – not the socialist agenda of Nancy Pelosi, Ilhan Omar, and the rest of the squad," Fischbach said in a press release. "People here believe in our constitutional rights. They believe in the right to life. They believe in making sure the next generation has the opportunity to pursue the American dream right here in Western Minnesota.”
Fischbach was first elected to the Minnesota Senate as a Republican in 1996, representing portions of Benton and Stearns counties in central Minnesota. She became the first woman to serve as Senate President in 2011, and returned to the position when Republicans became the majority party again in 2017. While serving as Senate President, under the rules of the Minnesota constitution, she became Minnesota's 49th Lieutenant Governor in 2018, after Democratic Governor Mark Dayton appointed then-lieutenant governor Tina Smith to the U.S. Senate.
According to a press release, Fischbach plans to travel throughout the 7th District in the coming months to "talk with voters about her vision for Western Minnesota and listen to their thoughts and concerns."
Minnesota's 7th Congressional District includes much of western Minnesota, including the cities of Alexandria, Willmar, Fergus Falls, Marshall, Bemidji, and Moorhead.
