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With an insider’s eye, Hot Dish tracks the tastiest bits of Minnesota’s political scene and keep you up-to-date on those elected to serve you.

Contributors in Minnesota: Jennifer Brooks, Baird Helgeson, Mike Kaszuba, Patricia Lopez, Jim Ragsdale, Brad Schrade and Rachel E. Stassen-Berger. Contributors in D.C.: Kevin Diaz and Corey Mitchell.

Posts about 7th District

Peterson warns Boehner of 'fool's erand' on farm bill

Posted by: Kevin Diaz Updated: January 4, 2013 - 11:44 AM

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Hopping mad about a stop-gap nine-month extension of current farm programs under the “fiscal cliff” deal, rural Minnesota Democrat Collin Peterson fired off letters to House GOP leaders saying he sees “no reason why the House Agriculture Committee should undertake the fool’s errand” of writing another five-year farm bill in the new session of Congress.
 
Peterson’s letters to House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor Thusday follow repeated refusals by GOP leadership to consider the Agriculture Committee’s bipartisan five-year farm bill during the last Congress and a “last-minute, backroom” nine-month farm bill extension that ignored the work of the House and Senate farm committees.
 

Peterson, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, said that this time he wants an up-front written commitment from House leaders that any new farm legislation coming out of the committee will get a vote of the full House.

The letter is here:

 

Collin Peterson letter to Boehner

"God Bless the USA" singer will join 7th District Republican candidate for event

Posted by: Rachel E. Stassen-Berger Updated: September 14, 2012 - 11:24 AM

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Lee Byberg, the Republican candidate facing longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, will get a boost from the singer of the campaign-ubiquitous "God Bless the USA" song next month.

Lee Greenwood, whose song rings out from speakers at parades and rallies across the nation, will join a Byberg "Northern Lights Freedom Chorus" event in Alexandria on October 21.

The Freedom Chorus, there are two before the Greenwood-headlined one, "is a citizen mega-choir that will enable communities and neighbors to join together and sing traditional hymns and patriotic songs about America....It's designed to unite the district, uplift America, and generate enthusiasm heading into the November election," Byberg said in an email to supporters.

The singing events continue a trend of unusual campaigning from Byberg. He also put out a bio book in which he reflects "upon the values principles which made American the greatest country ever seen."

Byberg's campaign might need the lift. As of his last campaign finance report, he had $91,921 cash on hand and $120,370 in debt. By contrast, Peterson had $799,953 and no doubt.

Byberg and Peterson faced off in Minnesota's western congressional district before. In 2010, Byberg netted 38 percent of the vote to Peterson's 55 percent.

And, for something different, here's Beyonce performing Greenwood's signature song:

Peterson has $819K banked for re-election campaign

Posted by: Corey Mitchell Updated: July 13, 2012 - 3:09 PM

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Democratic U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota's Seventh Congressional District has $819,000 banked for his re-election camapign against Republican Lee Byberg.

Peterson, the lead Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, has pulled in more than 80 percent of his contributions from political action committees, most of them with ties to agriculture.

Through the end of March, Byberg listed one contribution from a political action committee: the Alexandria Lakes Area Team Party donated $100 to his campaign last March for a speech he delivered.

Peterson raised roughly $191,000 during the months of April, May and June, about $3,000 more than he did during the same period of the 2010 election cycle.

Byberg has yet to submit his most recent campaign finance report. He also challenged Peterson in the 2010 election,  a contest he lost by nearly 18 percentage points.

Ellison, McCollum skip 'Fast and Furious' contempt vote in protest

Posted by: Corey Mitchell Updated: June 28, 2012 - 5:26 PM

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U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and his Congressional Black Caucus colleagues left the House floor during today's votes to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his refusal to surrender document concerning "Fast and Furious," a controversial gun-tracking operation.

When the U.S. House voted this afternoon, Ellison, other black caucus members and much of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which Ellison co-chairs, hosted a press conference on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building during the vote.

"I agree that the 'Fast and Furious' operation deserved a methodical Congressional investigation -- this is our oversight responsibility," Ellison said in a statement.

"However, the investigation has ignored the fact that the Bush Administration started this program, which let weapons traffickers by thousands of guns. The Obama Administration acted decisively to stop the program and Attorney General Eric Holder condemned the approach.

"Yet, once again the Republicans won't take 'yes' for an answer and have turned this tragedy into a political football."

Holder is the first black to serve as attorney general and was the first to face a contempt vote by the full House or Senate. The measure passed the House of Representatives, 255 to 67.

The Fast and Furious investigation is trying to determine whether the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms deliberately allowed guns to fall into the hands of drug cartels in Mexico while agents sought to track how the weapons are smuggled to criminal groups. A Customs and Border Protection Agent was shot and killed with one of the trafficked guns.

Democrats pushed for a mass walkout, but two of Minnesota's Democratic representatives -- Collin Peterson and Tim Walz -- supported the contempt resolutions against Holder. The Washington Post reported that the National Rifle Association, which supports the contempt vote, may have influenced Peterson's decision.

"To do its job, Congress must have access to all the information it needs to make independent, sound judgments on behalf of the American people," Walz said in a statement.

"Five years ago, when I voted to hold President Bush's Administration officials in contempt, I said we have to stay consistent in our oversight of executive branch officials. After reviewing the facts carefully, I have come to the same conclusions as I did in 2007. There are just too many unanswered questions surrounding "Fast and Furious," and the American people deserve to know more."

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, the only other Minnesota Democrat in the House, joined Ellison in denouncing and skipping the contempt votes.

"This Tea Party Republican resolution is a shameful and shameless political witch hunt intended to destroy an honorable man's character," her statement read, in part.

Minnesota's U.S. Republican representatives -- Michele Bachmann, Chip Cravaack John Kline and Erik Paulsen -- all voted to hold Holder in contempt.

"While I had hoped the Attorney General would have produced the subpoenaed documents, I remain hopeful that these votes are a step forward as Congress continues its investigations into 'Fast and Furious,'" Bachmann said in a statement.

Peterson rocks the Rock and Roll Caucus

Posted by: Kevin Diaz Updated: May 8, 2012 - 12:12 PM

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U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and a few musical friends are tuning their guitars today to inaugurate the newest legislative group in the U.S. House: the Rock and Roll caucus.
 
Founded by Ohio Democrat Marcia Fudge, whose district includes the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Rock caucus (for short) takes its place among hundreds of other legislative groups, from the bicycle caucus to the Albanian issues caucus.
 
Peterson’s group, the 2nd Amendments (not named after the second graph in the Bill of Rights, but they don’t mind the association) is scheduled to gig at a reception in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill. Members include Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., and Rep. Stephen Lee Fincher, R-Tenn. Special guest is Peterson pal Skunk Baxter, a Doobie Brother-turned-defense lobbyist.

Fudge's office says the 20-member bipartisan caucus (so far) will promote the educational, cultural and economic impact of Rock and Roll, and work to enhance its collection and preservation.

Rock On.
 
Here they are at Farm Aid. That's Peterson in the coral pink shirt.
 
 

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