Colin Peterson

If you didn’t like this early census statistic from U.S. Rep. Colin Peterson — that 25 percent of his constituents think the American military destroyed the World Trade Center towers on 9/11 — well, he’s sorry. Without indicating a precise proportion this time, Peterson amended his claim: “[T]here are people in the Seventh District who freely [...]

The Club for Growth likes Rep. Michele Bachmann — at least more than the rest of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation. The anti-tax advocacy group ranks Bachmann 37th on its latest assessment of House members, approving of her votes on 91 percent of the bills it deemed worthy of consideration. The Club for Growth’s rankings consider 22 [...]

Among the Minnesota legislators who have so far reported fund-raising figures for the first quarter of 2009, Rep. Michele Bachmann pulled in the most cash — more than $300,000, with nearly another quarter-million dollars in the bank.

Sure, it’s a 12-way tie, but Minnesota can now boast (or grimace, depending on your political leanings) that it’s represented by the most liberal member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Fourth District Rep. Betty McCollum is among the dozen Democrats sharing the top slot in National Journal’s annual rankings of congressional members based on [...]

An array of odds and ends about Minnesota-centric action in the early days of the 111th Congress: How our delegates voted on the House stimulus package, prospects for a veto-proof majority for Democrats in the Senate, Rep. Keith Ellison’s “mandate,” and the two congressmen who signed on for pay freezes.

Congressional Quarterly has released its annual rankings of federal legislators in terms of party loyalty and support for President George W. Bush’s policies. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (pictured), finishing up her second year at the Capitol, voted with her party 94 percent of the time in 2008, while siding with the president on less than a [...]

Thursday’s 52-35 Senate vote on a proposed $14 billion bailout for the auto industry broke down along party lines in Minnesota: Norm Coleman voted against it; Amy Klobuchar for it. The vote on the House version a day earlier: Minnesota Democrats approved, while GOPers Michele Bachmann, Jim Ramstad and John Kline voted against. Democratic Reps. [...]

The U.S. House of Representatives rejected the proposed $700 billion bailout of the financial sector this afternoon by a 228-205 margin. The opposition was bipartisan, with 95 Democrats joining 133 Republicans in opposing the bill.
The Minnesota delegation was similarly split on the legislation. Backing the proposal were Democrats Betty McCollum, Jim Oberstar and Keith Ellison, [...]

Republican Rep. John Kline and Democratic Reps. Colin Peterson and James Oberstar were the only members of the Minnesota congressional delegation to disclose privately financed travel in 2006, according to annual financial disclosure documents filed on Thursday.

Kline, in his third term from Minnesota’s 2nd District, made one trip in January 2006 to the “Conservative Members’ [...]