U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) announced on Monday that is running for re-election this year, POLITICO reported.
Peterson, who was elected to Congress in 1990 and represents the state's 7th District, is a high-ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee and said in a statement that he plans to stay in Congress to oversee the farm bill.
"I still have a lot of work to do," he said in the statement. "While it can be frustrating to watch the dysfunction and partisan gridlock in Congress, I think there is still a place for moderate members like myself to try to build consensus and cooperation."
Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, applauded Peterson's decision to run again in a statement.
"He is a true champion for farmers and middle-class families as he demonstrated in his leadership of the recent farm bill," Martin said.
However, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said the GOP plans of driving him out of Washington.
"Collin Peterson may not be retiring on his own terms, but we have every intention of forcing him into retirement in November," NRCC spokesman Tyler Q. Houlton said in a statement.
Peterson, a 69-year-old former CPA and state legislator, said he is not ready to give up working in the Capitol.
"I will continue to be a voice of common sense in Washington, DC for all the people of Minnesota's Seventh District.," Peterson said.
