The wealth of seniority that Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson has accumulated over 24 years in Congress has given Seventh District voters and all Minnesotans an outsized voice in shaping national agriculture policy.

Peterson's Republican challenger, state Sen. Torrey Westrom, has little to show for 18 years in the Legislature beyond his partisan zeal for the 2011 government shutdown. While Peterson's reputation is built on working with Republicans and Democrats as a back-channel go-between, Westrom has grown more partisan in his rhetoric.

Peterson — our clear choice for endorsement in the Seventh District — was instrumental in resolving farm bill fights over food stamps, penalties for overproducing dairy farmers and clean water regulations that threatened to kill the bill. As ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee and a former chairman, leaders of both parties relied on the veteran Peterson for his agriculture expertise, and he worked to include more conservation measures than in any previous omnibus farm bill.

Peterson is co-founder of the Blue Dog Coalition of Democrats, in which fiscal responsibility trumps ideology. He's hard to categorize as a politician, but he's a centrist fit for the Seventh District, which covers much of western Minnesota.

Peterson and Westrom share some key positions: Both favor building the Keystone and Sandpiper oil pipelines, for instance, and both are strong defenders of gun rights. But Westrom comes off as the ideologue in the race, advocating for the death penalty and a repeal of Roe vs. Wade.

Westrom does bring a valuable perspective to employment issues involving the disabled. Blinded at age 14 in a farm accident, he has overcome great obstacles in his personal life and is a passionate advocate for programs that can offer more training and employment opportunities for the disabled.

Westrom wants "common sense" reforms of entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, but he said he hasn't studied the issues enough to offer specifics.

Peterson has been immersed in the issues for seven terms on behalf of the Seventh District, and he remains a trusted, moderate voice in Congress.