Collin Clark Peterson (born June 29, 1944) is an American accountant, politician, and lobbyist who served as the
U.S. representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
for from 1991 to 2021. A member of the
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is a political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota affiliated with the national Democratic Party. The party was formed by a merger between the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minneso ...
(DFL), he was chairman of the
House Committee on Agriculture from 2019 to 2021 having previously held the office from 2007 to 2011; he had been ranking member from 2011 to 2019 and 2005 to 2007. Peterson was the most
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
U.S. Representative from
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
and the dean of
Minnesota's congressional delegation. In 2020, Peterson was defeated by
Michelle Fischbach
Michelle Louise Helene Fischbach (; born November 3, 1965) is an American politician and attorney serving since 2021 as the United States Representative, U.S. representative from Minnesota's 7th congressional district. The district, which is heav ...
, ending his 30-year tenure in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
. In 2022, Peterson registered as a federal lobbyist after opening an eponymous consulting firm.
Early life, education, and early political career
Collin Peterson was born in
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...
, grew up on a farm in
Baker, Minnesota, and received his B.A. at
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) is a public university in Moorhead, Minnesota, across the Red River of the North from Fargo, North Dakota. The school has an enrollment of 7,534 students in 2019 and 266 full-time faculty members. MSUM ...
.
Peterson was a member of the
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...
for the
Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (the Minnesota branch of the Democratic Party) from 1977 to 1986, representing a district in northwestern Minnesota. In 1976, he defeated Republican nominee
Frank DeGroat 55%-45%. In 1982, he won re-election against state representative
Cal Larson by just 200 votes, or 0.8% difference.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
1980s
In 1984, he ran for
Minnesota's 7th congressional district in Northwestern Minnesota, held by Republican
Arlan Stangeland
Arlan Inghart Stangeland (February 8, 1930 – July 2, 2013) was an American politician from Minnesota. As a Republican, Stangeland served in the United States House of Representatives from February 22, 1977 to January 3, 1991. He lost his camp ...
. Peterson lost 57%–43%. In 1986, he ran in a rematch and narrowly lost by just 121 votes. In 1988, he ran again but lost in the DFL primary to state senator
Marv Hanson 55%–45%. Hanson went on to lose to Stangeland 55%–45%.
1990s
In 1990, he ran for a fourth time and won the primary. In the general election, he finally defeated seven-term incumbent Stangeland by 54%–46%. Stangeland's stock had dropped sharply after he admitted to making a number of personal calls on his House credit card.
In 1992, Peterson narrowly won re-election by a 50%–49% margin against former state representative
Bernie Omann. In a 1994 rematch, Peterson won again by a 51%–49% margin, despite the
Republican Revolution
The "Republican Revolution", "Revolution of '94", or "Gingrich Revolution" are political slogans that refer to the Republican Party's (GOP) success in the 1994 U.S. midterm elections, which resulted in a net gain of 54 seats in the House o ...
. In 1996, he won re-election with 68% of the vote, and won every county in the district. In 1998, he won re-election with 72% of the vote.
2000s
In the 2000s, Peterson never faced a serious re-election challenge and only once did he win re-election with less than two-thirds of the vote. In 2000, he was mentioned as a possible candidate
for the U.S. Senate against Republican
Rod Grams
Rodney Dwight Grams (February 4, 1948 – October 8, 2013) was an American politician and television news anchor who served in both the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. A local news anchor, Grams became well known f ...
, but he chose to run for re-election, winning with 69% of the vote.
In 2002, he won with 65% of the vote. In 2004, he won with 66% of the vote. In 2006, he won with 70% of the vote. In 2008, he won with 72% of the vote.
2010s
In 2010, Peterson survived another Republican wave election. This time, he defeated Lee Byberg 55%–38%, his worst election performance since 1994. In
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, Peterson won re-election with 60.38% to Republican Lee Byberg's 34.85% and Independent Adam Steele's 4.67%.
In 2013, Republicans began pressuring Peterson, in hopes of convincing him to retire. His seat was one of only a handful represented by a Democrat which had been carried by
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
in the 2012 election. Republican opposition tactics included airing television advertisements, hiring a press staffer to give opposition research to reporters, hiring a tracker to follow him around his district and record him, and sending
mobile billboard
A mobile billboard is a device used for advertising on the sides of a truck, trailer, bike, or other vehicle that is typically mobile. Mobile billboards are a form of transit media; static billboards and mall/airport advertising fall into this ...
s with critical statements on them to drive around his hometown. Peterson responded by saying, "They don't have anybody else to go after. It's kind of ridiculous, but whatever." After Republicans spread rumors that Peterson was planning to buy a house in Florida and retire there, he said: "I went from neutral on running again to 90 percent just because of this stupid stuff they're doing. You can't let these people be in charge of anything, in my opinion." On March 17, 2014, Peterson officially announced that he was running for re-election, saying, "I still have a lot of work to do". Despite being heavily targeted by national Republican groups, Peterson defeated Republican State Senator
Torrey Westrom in the general election by 54% to 46%.
In October 2014, Peterson said that he may keep running until 2020 because the Republicans "made me mad" with their efforts to defeat him or persuade him to retire. In January 2015, he stated that he was "running at this point" for re-election in 2016, saying that the efforts by Republicans to unseat him had "energized me" and "got me fired up". He was challenged by Republican retired Air Force Major Dave Hughes and beat him in close races in 2016 and 2018.
Peterson held onto his seat despite a growing Republican trend in the region. From 2000 to 2016, the Republican presidential candidate carried it by double digits three out of five times. This culminated in 2016, when
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
carried the district with 62 percent of the vote, his best showing in the state. Peterson thus sat in one of the most Republican districts in the country to be represented by a Democrat.
In the November 2020 general election, Peterson was defeated for reelection by Republican former state senator and former lieutenant governor
Michelle Fischbach
Michelle Louise Helene Fischbach (; born November 3, 1965) is an American politician and attorney serving since 2021 as the United States Representative, U.S. representative from Minnesota's 7th congressional district. The district, which is heav ...
. In that same election, Trump again carried the 7th with his best margin in the state, this time with 64 percent and a 29-point margin. Peterson lost to Fischbach by a 14-point margin, the largest margin of defeat for any House incumbent that year. Despite his loss, he was the top-performing Democratic representative compared to presidential nominee
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
, outperforming him by 16 points in the district. Peterson was the only non-freshman member of the House of Representatives to lose re-election in 2020, and Minnesota's 7th district was one of only two congressional districts that Republicans flipped in 2020 that they did not hold prior to 2018, the other being
Iowa's 2nd congressional district
Iowa's 2nd congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of its northeastern part. It includes Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Iowa, Dubuque ...
.
Committee assignments
;116th Congress
*
Committee on Agriculture (chairman)
**As chairman of the whole committee, he served as an ''ex officio'' member on all subcommittees
*
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
;Past membership
*
Committee on Agriculture (beginning with the 102nd Congress to present day; see: )
** Chairman & ''former'' Ranking Member. As ranking member of the full committee, Peterson may sit as an ''ex officio'' member of all subcommittees.
*
Oversight and Government Reform
** This was one of the first committees Peterson served on (102nd 103rd 104th & 105th Congresses).
*
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
** Began membership in the 106th and 107th Congress, and resumed membership in the 116th Congress.
Caucus membership
* Military Veterans Caucus, Co-chairman
*
Congressional Arts Caucus
Political positions
Peterson is one of the founders of the
Blue Dog Coalition
The Blue Dog Coalition, commonly known as the Blue Dogs or Blue Dog Democrats, is a Congressional caucus, caucus of Political moderate, moderate members from the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the United States House of ...
, the
caucus
A caucus is a group or meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures.
The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to ...
of House Democrats who identify as moderates and conservatives. He was one of the most conservative Democrats in recent American history and frequently crossed the party line. Peterson had split from his party on issues such as gay marriage, healthcare, the estate tax, tort reform, gun control, the environment, DC statehood, and abortion.
In 2008, a report by
Congressional Quarterly
''Congressional Quarterly'', or ''CQ'', is an American publication that is part of the privately owned publishing company CQ Roll Call, which covers the United States Congress. ''CQ'' was formerly acquired by the U.K.-based Economist Group and ...
found he had the lowest party loyalty score over the previous five years of any member of the Minnesota congressional delegation.
In the
109th Congress
The 109th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 2005, to January 3, 2007, du ...
, he was rated 50% conservative by a conservative group and 57%
progressive by a liberal group.
During the first session of the
115th United States Congress
The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2017, to January ...
, Peterson was ranked the most bipartisan member of the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
by the Bipartisan Index, a metric created by the
Lugar Center and
Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy to assess
congressional
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...
bipartisanship.
Social issues
Peterson is generally conservative on social issues; he strongly opposes legal abortion and has been one of the few Democrats to vote against embryonic stem cell research.
He has voted to ban physician-assisted suicide and also to approve the proposed
Flag Desecration Amendment to the
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...
. He also voted for the
Defense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was a United States federal law passed by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996. It banned federal recognition of same-sex marriage by limitin ...
and supports the death penalty.
In January 2019, in reference to President Trump's proposed wall across the southern border, Peterson said, "I'd give him the whole thing ... and put strings on it so you make sure he puts the wall where it needs to be. Why are we fighting over this? We're going to build that wall anyway, at some time." Peterson furthered that there could be stipulations requiring some funding go toward Border Patrol and security measures at ports of entry being improved.
On April 4, 2019, Peterson was the only Democrat to vote against the reauthorization of the
Violence Against Women Act, citing his disappointment with the law being "made partisan with the inclusion of language that would strip individuals' right to due process with respect to their 2nd Amendment rights."
Hunting and conservationism
His district contains some of the most conservative counties in the state and also the state's most rural district; many
DFLers outside the Twin Cities are hunters and trappers who oppose gun control.
Peterson is a conservationist, but opposes "excessive environmental regulation" because he argues they harm farmers.
He is an avid hunter and supports
animal trapping
Animal trapping, or simply trapping or ginning, is the use of a device to remotely catch and often kill an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including for meat, fur trade, fur/feathers, sport hunting, pest control, and w ...
, but in 2000 he joined with
the Humane Society of the United States
Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Humane Society International (HSI), is a global nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scop ...
to pass legislation that stopped the interstate shipping of birds for
cockfight
Cockfighting is a blood sport involving domesticated roosters as the combatants. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term ...
ing.
He has supported legislation that would end protection for wolves in the Endangered Species Act.
In 2004, he joined with
Minnesota attorney general
The attorney general of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Thirty individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Keith Ellison, a Democratic-Farme ...
Mike Hatch in suing the state of
North Dakota
North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
over what they argued were discriminatory laws that forbade non–North Dakota residents from hunting during the first week of the
waterfowl hunting
Waterfowl hunting is the practice of hunting aquatic birds such as ducks, geese and other waterfowls or shorebirds for sport and meat. Waterfowl are hunted in crop fields where they feed, or in areas with bodies of water such as rivers, lakes ...
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
. Their case was rejected by the
United States District Court for the District of North Dakota, a decision which was upheld by the
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts:
* Eastern District of Arkansas
* Western ...
.
Guns
Peterson is a "staunch" supporter of gun rights. He has received successive "A" and "A+" ratings from the
NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF), with endorsements in 2010, 2014 and 2020.
Economic issues
Although he's been called a strong fiscal conservative,
he is somewhat closer to the left wing of his party on certain economic issues: he has voted against most
free trade
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...
agreements, the
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement (, TLCAN; , ALÉNA), referred to colloquially in the Anglosphere as NAFTA, ( ) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The ...
,
the
Freedom to Farm Act, and the
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is a United States federal law enacted by the 104th United States Congress on January 3, 1996, and signed into law on February 8, 1996, by President Bill Clinton. It primarily amended Chapter 5 of Title 47 of ...
. He also voted against both versions of the
Patriot Act and he has been sharply critical of the
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a 2002 United States Act of Congress promoted by the presidential administration of George W. Bush. It reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and included Title I provisio ...
, which he contends is unfair to rural students.
He supports the
FairTax
FairTax is a flat tax, fixed rate sales tax proposal introduced as bill H.R. 25 in the United States Congress every year since 2005. The ''Fair Tax Act'' calls for elimination of the Internal Revenue Service and repeal the Sixteenth Amendment ...
, a national sales tax, estate-tax repeal and tort reform. He voted for the
Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act
The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) () is a legislative act that made several significant changes to the United States Bankruptcy Code.
Referred to colloquially as the "New Bankruptcy Law", the Act of C ...
.
Peterson joined the House Republicans in voting against the
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993
The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (or OBRA-93) was a federal law that was enacted by the 103rd United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 10, 1993. It has also been unofficially referred to as the ...
.
Along with
John Conyers
John James Conyers Jr. (May 16, 1929October 27, 2019) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. Conyers was the sixth-longest serving member of Congress and the lo ...
, in April 2006 Peterson brought an action against George W. Bush and others alleging violations of the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
in the passing of the
Deficit Reduction Act of 2005
The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the Federal budget (United States), federal budget that became law in 2006.
Legislative history
The Senate's version passed after a tie-breaking vote was cast by Vice ...
. The case (''
Conyers v. Bush'') was ultimately dismissed.
On January 28, 2009, Peterson was amongst the seven Democrats who voted in the House together with the unanimous Republican opposition against President Obama's stimulus package (
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a Stimulus (economics), stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed ...
).
International trade
In 1998, as part of an effort to change what were considered unequal fishing regulations between the U.S. and Canada, Peterson gained attention by proposing a
constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment (or constitutional alteration) is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly alt ...
that would allow the residents of Minnesota's
Northwest Angle
The Northwest Angle, known simply as the Angle by locals, and coextensive with Angle Township, is a pene-exclave of northern Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota. Excluding surveying errors, it is the only place in the contiguous United States ...
to vote on whether they wanted to
secede
Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal is the c ...
from the United States and join the Canadian province of
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
. Peterson said that the amendment, which was part of a mock secession movement, was successful in bringing the issue to the attention of the White House: "In just the day after I introduced (the amendment), people from the vice president's office have been asking questions, people in the White House (too). I've got meetings scheduled with the U.S. trade representative... we've educated people on both sides of the border, and I think we've brought it closer to the point where we'll get this thing resolved."
Healthcare
In 2003, he was one of just 16 Democrats to vote for President Bush's
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, also called the Medicare Modernization Act or MMA, is a federal law of the United States, enacted in 2003. It produced the largest overhaul of Medicare in the public health pro ...
.
On March 21, 2010, Peterson voted against the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health ...
(also known as Obamacare). In January 2016, he voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (he was the sole Democrat in the House to vote for the repeal). In 2017, he voted against Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Agriculture
In January 2005, he was selected by the House Democratic Caucus to succeed former Texas congressman
Charlie Stenholm as the ranking member on the
Committee on Agriculture. He became the committee's chairman after the Democrats won control of the House two years later.
Peterson was a cosponsor of the Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2005 which would provide job protection for three million illegal immigrant agricultural workers and their families, and extend the visas of legal immigrant agricultural workers.
In addition to this, Peterson was the chair of the House committee on Agriculture in the 116th Congress.
Military
Peterson was one of the few Democrats to vote in favor of the
Military Commissions Act of 2006
The Military Commissions Act of 2006, also known as HR-6166, was an Act of Congress signed by President George W. Bush on October 17, 2006. The Act's stated purpose was "to authorize trial by military commission for violations of the law of ...
.
Price gouging
In May 2007, Peterson was the lone
Democrat to vote against the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act.
Hate crimes
In April 2009, Peterson voted against the
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Environmental issues
On May 6, 2009, Peterson voiced his opposition to
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
legislation proposed by the
Obama administration
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...
saying, "I will not support any kind of climate change bill – even if you fix this – because I don't trust anybody anymore. I've had it." Peterson predicted that an
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Protection Agency may refer to the following government organizations:
* Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland), Australia
* Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana)
* Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland)
* Environmenta ...
proposal to assess indirect effects of ethanol production on greenhouse gas emissions, combined with the climate change legislation, could "kill off
corn ethanol
Corn ethanol is ethanol produced from corn biomass and is the main source of ethanol fuel in the United States, mandated to be blended with gasoline in the Renewable Fuel Standard. Corn ethanol is produced by ethanol fermentation and distill ...
."
Town meetings
On July 27, 2009, a controversy erupted after Peterson was quoted in a
Politico.com article saying, "25 percent of my people believe the Pentagon and
Rumsfeld were responsible for taking the twin towers down. That's why I don't do
town meeting
Town meeting, also known as an "open town meeting", is a form of local government in which eligible town residents can directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike representative town meeting where ...
s." The state Republican Party denounced the remark as "outrageous and offensive". Peterson apologized for the comment, which he described as "off-hand".
[ ]
Abortion
Peterson is an
anti-abortion
Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...
Democrat. In 2010, he was endorsed by the
National Right to Life Committee
The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) is the oldest and largest national anti-abortion organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and more than 3,000 local chapters nationwide.
Since the 1980s, NRLC has influenc ...
.
In 2011, he co-sponsored HR 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.
The bill contained an exception for "forcible rape," which opponents criticized as potentially excluding drug-facilitated rape, date rape, and other forms of rape. The bill also allowed an exception for minors who are victims of incest.
LGBT rights
Peterson supported a Constitutional Amendment that would ban legal recognition of same-sex marriages in the United States.
Yemeni civil war
Peterson was one of five House Democrats who voted for the US to continue selling arms to
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
and to support the
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
On 26 March 2015, Saudi Arabia, leading a coalition of nine countries from West Asia and North Africa, launched a military intervention in Yemen at the request of Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who had been ousted from the capital, Sa ...
.
Asked why he voted against the resolution and what he knew about the Yemeni civil war, Peterson said, "I don't know a damn thing about it".
Peterson also said that the resolution on US involvement in the Yemeni civil war would have jeopardized a farm bill that was under consideration at the same time; according to New York magazine's Eric Levitz, "by all accounts, voting against the Yemen resolution would not have doomed the farm bill."
Impeachment of Donald Trump
On October 31, 2019, he was one of two Democrats to vote against Article I of the impeachment inquiries against President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, and one of the three Democrats to vote against Article II. He again was one of two Democrats, alongside
Jeff Van Drew
Jefferson Van Drew (born February 23, 1953) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 2nd congressional district since 2019. He was elected as a Democrat, but has since switched to the Republican Party sinc ...
, to vote against impeachment on December 18, 2019.
In February 2021, Peterson stated that he would have voted in favor of the
second impeachment if he was in the House.
D.C. statehood
On June 26, 2020, Peterson was the only Democratic representative to break with his party when he voted against H.R. 51, a bill that would allow for
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
to be admitted as the country's
51st state
"51st state" is a phrase used in the United States of America to refer to the idea of adding an additional state to the current 50-state Union. Proposals for a 51st state may include granting statehood to one of the U.S. territories or Washing ...
.
Marijuana
Peterson was one of six House Democrats to vote against the
Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, also known as the MORE Act, is a proposed piece of U.S. federal legislation that would Removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, deschedule cannabis from th ...
to
legalize cannabis at the federal level in 2020.
Electoral history
;2020
;2018
;2016
;2014
;2012
;2010
;2008
;2006
;2004
;2002
;1990
Personal life
Peterson lives in
Detroit Lakes, just east of Moorhead. He is divorced and previously dated former congresswoman
Katherine Harris
Katherine Harris (born April 5, 1957) is an American politician from Florida. A Republican, she served in the Florida Senate from 1994 to 1998, as Secretary of State of Florida from 1999 to 2002, and as a member of the United States House of Re ...
, the former Republican
secretary of state of Florida
The secretary of state of Florida is an executive officer of the state government of the U.S. state of Florida, established since the original 1838 Constitution of Florida, state constitution. Like the corresponding officials in other states, th ...
.
[ He is a licensed private pilot and would frequently travel by private plane across his district.][
In December 2005, Peterson joined four Republicans to form the Second Amendments, a rock and ]country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
band.
See also
* United States congressional delegations from Minnesota
* List of United States representatives from Minnesota
References
External links
*
Political profile
at the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library
*
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Collin
1944 births
Living people
American accountants
American Lutherans
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota
Democratic Party Minnesota state senators
Lutherans from Minnesota
Minnesota State University Moorhead alumni
People from Clay County, Minnesota
People from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Politicians from Fargo, North Dakota
21st-century Minnesota politicians
21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives
20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature