41 Facts About Collin Peterson

Collin Clark Peterson was born on June 29,1944 and is an American accountant, politician, and lobbyist who served as the US representative for from 1991 to 2021.

In 2020, Collin Peterson was defeated by Michelle Fischbach, ending his 30-year tenure in the United States House of Representatives.

In 2022, Collin Peterson registered as a federal lobbyist after opening an eponymous consulting firm.

Collin Peterson's seat was one of only a handful represented by a Democrat which had been carried by Mitt Romney in the 2012 election.

In October 2014, Collin 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.

Collin Peterson was challenged by Republican retired Air Force Major Dave Hughes and beat him in close races in 2016 and 2018.

Collin Peterson held onto his seat despite a growing Republican trend in the region.

Collin Peterson thus sat in one of the most Republican districts in the country to be represented by a Democrat.

Collin Peterson lost to Fischbach by a 14-point margin, the largest margin of defeat for any House incumbent that year.

Collin 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.

Collin Peterson is one of the founders of the Blue Dog Coalition, the caucus of House Democrats who identify as moderates and conservatives.

Collin Peterson was one of the most conservative Democrats in recent American history and frequently crossed the party line.

Collin 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.

Collin 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.

Collin Peterson has voted to ban physician-assisted suicide and to approve the proposed Flag Desecration Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Collin Peterson voted for the Defense of Marriage Act and supports the death penalty.

Collin Peterson's district contains some of the most conservative counties in the state and the state's most rural district; many DFLers outside the Twin Cities are hunters and trappers who oppose gun control.

Collin Peterson is a conservationist, but opposes "excessive environmental regulation" because he argues they harm farmers.

Collin Peterson is an avid hunter and supports animal trapping, but in 2000 he joined with the Humane Society of the United States to pass legislation that stopped the interstate shipping of birds for cockfighting.

Collin Peterson has supported legislation that would end protection for wolves in the Endangered Species Act.

Collin Peterson has received successive "A" and "A+" ratings from the NRA Political Victory Fund, with endorsements in 2010,2014 and 2020.

Collin Peterson voted against both versions of the Patriot Act and he has been sharply critical of the No Child Left Behind Act, which he contends is unfair to rural students.

Collin Peterson voted for the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act.

Collin Peterson joined the House Republicans in voting against the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993.

On January 28,2009, Collin Peterson was amongst the seven Democrats who voted in the House together with the unanimous Republican opposition against President Obama's stimulus package.

In 1998, as part of an effort to change what were considered unequal fishing regulations between the US and Canada, Collin Peterson gained attention by proposing a constitutional amendment that 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.

On March 21,2010, Collin Peterson voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Collin Peterson became the committee's chairman after the Democrats won control of the House two years later.

Collin 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.

Collin Peterson was one of the few Democrats to vote in favor of the Military Commissions Act of 2006.

In May 2007, Collin Peterson was the lone Democrat to vote against the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act.

On July 27,2009, a controversy erupted after Collin Peterson was quoted in a Politico.

Collin Peterson apologized for the comment, which he described as "off-hand".

Collin Peterson supported a Constitutional Amendment that would ban legal recognition of same-sex marriages in the United States.

Collin Peterson was one of five House Democrats who voted for the US to continue selling arms to Saudi Arabia and to support the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.

Collin Peterson again was one of two Democrats, alongside Jeff Van Drew, to vote against impeachment on December 18,2019.

In February 2021, Collin Peterson stated that he would have voted in favor of the second impeachment if he was in the House.

Collin Peterson was one of six House Democrats to vote against the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act to legalize cannabis at the federal level in 2020.

Collin Peterson is divorced and previously dated former congresswoman Katherine Harris, the former Republican secretary of state of Florida.

Collin Peterson is a licensed private pilot and would frequently travel by private plane across his district.

In December 2005, Collin Peterson joined four Republicans to form the Second Amendments, a rock and country band.