Wanted: Republican to run against U.S. Rep. Peterson

Interested in running against a congressional incumbent?

What about an incumbent who tends to win by double digits?

How about taking on a Democratic incumbent in a district that tends to vote for Republicans?

Well then, the Minnesota Seventh District Congressional Republicans might be looking for you.

"We are definitely on the search for somebody," said Craig Bishop, the chairman of the western Minnesota GOP group.

As it has before, the Republican group has set up a search committee to find potential candidates to run against Democratic U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson next year.

"A good potential candidate would be someone with a passion for our country's freedoms and future, someone who is concerned about the direction our nation is headed and someone willing to put in the hard work and major fundraising necessary to run for Congress," the Republican district leaders said in an email. "If you know someone who might make a strong candidate for Congress, or if you have any interest yourself, please call us or reply via email."

Republicans have long eyed the Republican-leaning Seventh District and the national GOP has talked up its chances of unseating Peterson in 2014. The National Republican Congressional Committee made a small ad buy targeting Peterson during the August recess.

Peterson is one of only 25 House members in a district won by the presidential candidate of the opposite party. Last year, Peterson won 60 percent of the vote, while Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney picked up 54 percent of the district's votes.

Rumors of a possible Peterson retirement, which swirl every two years, make Republicans even more hopeful. But Peterson, most recently, has indicated he is thinking about running again.