Peterson cruises to win in Minnesota’s 7th

Rep. Collin Peterson won his House contest in the northwestern corner of Minnesota, but he’s likely to lose his chairmanship of the House Agriculture Committee as Republicans are poised to take over that chamber.

Peterson bested Republican Lee Byberg for the 7th Congressional District seat, and when the Associated Press called the race Tuesday night, Peterson was leading 52 percent to 40 percent.

Peterson hails from the second most Republican-leaning district, which has a PVI of R+5, but has bucked the trend amid a “Republican wave.” As a Blue Dog Democrat, he voted against many of the Democrats key policies — the same policies that tea party activists have criticized, including health care reform. And his position as chair of the House Agriculture Committee is a powerful one in the mostly agricultural district.

Byberg faced an uphill battle against the incumbent, but had some success in fundraising, bringing in $330,000 to Peterson’s $888,000.