Collin Peterson

Collin Clark Peterson has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1991, representing the 7th District of Minnesota. He is a regional whip.

Iraq War
Peterson voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Air travel restrictions
On May 2 2007, the House voted by voice vote on H.R.363 to remove airplane travel restrictions. The measure was sponsored by Rep. Peterson and Rep. Samuel Graves (R-Mo.). The new rules allow members to fly in a friend's airplane for free. The rules change also provides that members who are certified pilots may again fly their own aircraft.

Background
Peterson was born June 29, 1944 in Fargo, North Dakota. He grew up on a farm in Baker, Minnesota, and received his B.A. at Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota. His current home is Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

Peterson was a member of the Minnesota State Senate from 1977-1986.

Congressional Career
He won his present seat in the United States Congress by defeating incumbent Arlan Stangeland in 1990, after unsuccessful attempts in 1986 and 1988. In subsequent elections in 1992 and 1994, he struggled to hold on to his seat in close elections. In 1992 he narrowly won re-election by a 50-49% margin against former state representative Bernie Omann. In a 1994 re-match against Omann, Peterson won by a 51-49% margin. From 1996 on, he has been re-elected by a wide margin, with voters giving him between 65 and 72 percent of the vote.

Positions and Views
Peterson was one of the seven original founders of the Blue Dog Coalition of conservative Democrats in the House.

An avid hunter, Peterson is known for his interest in conservation and sportsmens issues. In the past he has been the Democratic House chair of the Congressional Sportsmens Caucus, with 300+ members. In 2000, he introduced H.R. 1275 to stop the interstate shipping of birds for cockfighting, a bill with 206 co-sponsors which did not make it out of committee. He consistently votes against gun control bills and received an "A" rating and endorsement from the National Rifle Association during the 2004 election. He is a co-sponsor of the America's Redrock Wilderness Act, a bill promoted by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to protect Utah wilderness. He is a strong supporter of preserving wildlife and gaming refuges.

Representing a mostly rural district, Peterson takes a strong interest in agriculture issues, and support for increasing agricultural investment programs, farm support programs, protecting family farms, and promoting the use of ethanol and biodiesel fuels.

Among the bills sponsored by Peterson in recent sessions of Congress are bills to provide tax incentives for biodiesel, to eliminate methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) from the fuel supply, to provide for faster assistance to farmers who undergo crop damage in federally-declared disaster areas, and to require the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate fatal railroad grade crossing accidents.

In 1998, Peterson gained attention by proposing a constitutional amendment which would allow the residents of Minnesota's Northwest Angle to vote on whether they wanted to secede from the United States and join the Canadian province of Manitoba.

In January 2005, he was selected by the House Democratic Caucus to succeed former Texas Congressman Charles Stenholm as the Ranking Member on the House Committee on Agriculture. Some brief controversy ensued during the selection process as Peterson was grilled by House Democratic leaders over his votes in favor of a Republican-sponsored drug bill in 2000 and Medicare bill in 2002.

Peterson is regularly listed by political experts as one of the most conservative Democrats in the U.S. Congress. He often votes with the opposition on social issues like gay marriage, abortion, and capital punishment. He was one of the few Democrats in the House to vote for the first tax cut package in 2001. He supports eliminating the estate tax and was one of the few Democrats to vote against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. On some issues he is closer to the mainstream of his party: he has voted against most free trade agreements, both versions of the Patriot Act, and he has been sharply critical of the Bush supported-No Child Left Behind Act, which he contends is unfair to rural students.

2006 elections
In 2006, Republicans nominated Mike Barrett to face Peterson in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Peterson retained his seat.

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Agriculture -Chair

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Agriculture - Ranking Minority Member

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Air Force Caucus
 * Animal Welfare Caucus
 * Caucus on Armenian Issues
 * Caucus on Unfunded Mandates
 * Internet Caucus
 * Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus
 * Northern Border Caucus
 * Soybean Caucus
 * Sportsmen's Caucus
 * Travel and Tourism Caucus
 * Co-Chair, Military Veterans Caucus
 * Forestry 2000 Task Force
 * Law Enforcement Task Force
 * Co-Chair, Military Veterans Caucus
 * Renewable Energy Caucus
 * Rural Development Caucus
 * Rural Health Care Caucus
 * Rural Housing Caucus
 * Steering Committee, Rural Health Care Coalition
 * Telecommunications Task Force

Boards and other Affiliations

 * Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Task Force
 * Blue Dog Coalition
 * Canada - U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group
 * Cuba Working Group
 * Ducks Unlimited
 * Eagles Club
 * Farm Bureau
 * Farmers Union
 * National Guard and Reserve Component Organization
 * Safari Club International
 * Vietnam-era Veterans in Congress

Articles and Resources

 * Official website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Centrisity
 * MN Publius.com

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