Michelle Fischbach wins Minnesota's 7th Congressional District race, CBS News projects

Republican Rep. Michelle Fischbach has won reelection to a fourth term in Minnesota's 7th Congressional District, CBS News projects.

Fischbach defeated DFL nominee Erik Osberg, who owns a media marketing firm.

Fischbach has represented western Minnesota since 2021, when she unseated DFL Rep. Collin Peterson, who represented the district for three decades. Republicans have held the seat since. She won reelection in 2022 and in 2024, when she defeated Democrat A. John Peters.

She previously served as lieutenant governor and president of the Minnesota Senate. The district stretches from the Canadian border to Pipestone, Murray and Cottonwood counties in southern Minnesota.

Who ran in Minnesota's 7th Congressional District?

Fischbach, a former lieutenant governor, also served as president of the Minnesota Senate, according to WCCO's 2024 reporting. She lives in Regal.

Osberg, who owns a media marketing firm, said in the WCCO Election Guide that he had spent the last decade working in rural economic development.

Where did Fischbach and Osberg stand on key issues?

Both candidates answered WCCO's election guide questions before the election, and the answers below are their own statements. Read the full responses from Fischbach and Osberg. The guide was not a paid advertisement, and WCCO does not endorse candidates.

• Taxes and debt: Fischbach said Republicans took a first step last year to rein in federal spending, and she wanted to balance the federal budget while keeping targeted tax cuts. Osberg said the debt can't be cut away, called for a more progressive tax code and said "public investment equals public good."
• Health care: Fischbach opposed "Medicaid for All," which she said would close rural hospitals, and supported price transparency, expanded health savings accounts and protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions. Osberg wanted to restore Affordable Care Act subsidies, lower the Medicare eligibility age and be on a path to a single-payer system, at least as an option.
• Tariffs and the economy: Fischbach wanted less regulation and long-term trade agreements that open markets for farmers. Osberg said Congress should take back power over tariffs and trade from the executive branch.
• Immigration: Fischbach supported improving the H-2A agricultural visa program. Osberg supported a pathway to citizenship, more immigration judges and asylum officers, and more border security and enforcement.
• Fraud: Fischbach said she helped pass a bill making a Fraud Task Force at the U.S. Department of Justice permanent, and introduced a bill with criminal penalties for state officials who retaliate against whistleblowers. Osberg said Congress should focus on prevention and called fraud a nonpartisan issue. He said the federal government should stop pardoning people convicted of fraud.