ST. PAUL — Thaddeus Laugisch, of Moorhead, on Thursday, Feb. 13, said he planned to challenge U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson for his 7th District seat.
Laugisch is seeking the Democratic endorsement for the seat and said he could be a better advocate than Peterson, the nearly three-decade incumbent, for Minnesota's workers.
“Families of western Minnesota are struggling while CEO profits are at all-time highs," Laugisch said in a news release. "Minnesotans deserve a fresh perspective in Washington that fits their needs, instead of the needs of the wealthy.”
Peterson has not yet announced whether he will seek another term and several GOP candidates have signed up to take on Peterson in the district that favored President Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 30 percentage points. Peterson said last year that he expected to make an announcement about his plans in January or early February, but two weeks into February Peterson still hadn't made public his plan.
Laugisch, a designer and safety director for a commercial agricultural general contractor, said he's been interested in politics for years but most recently became inspired to run for public office after volunteering with Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign.
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"The time for change in Washington is now," he said in a news release. "Western Minnesota also needs a fresh start."
