NRCC ad: ‘Collin Peterson is part of the status quo’

by Cameron Joseph - 03/21/14 9:29 AM ET

The National Republican Congressional Committee is on the air attacking Rep. Collin Peterson (Minn.), a red-district Democrat who recently announced he’ll seek reelection.

{mosads}The ad attacks Peterson for voting against a repeal to ObamaCare, featuring a local business owner.

“It’s hard enough to succeed in small business, but with all the taxes and regulations that we have to deal with on a regular basis, it even makes it more difficult,” says Willmar, Minn., hardware store owner Randy Czarnetzki in the ad. “The fact that Collin Peterson recently voted to keep ObamaCare threatens the future of my business. After all these years, Collin Peterson is part of the status quo.”

Republicans are bullish they can give Peterson a tough run in a district Mitt Romney won by almost a 10-point margin in 2012. Minnesota state Sen. Torrey Westrom (R) is running against him.

But Peterson, the House Agriculture Committee ranking member, has proven to be a rugged campaigner over the years. ObamaCare attacks also may be hard to pull off against him over the long term, since he voted against the law when it first passed.

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Peterson fired back against the ad.

“I voted against ObamaCare and would again if it was the same bill. Outside money, the NRCC, and super-PACs are trying to hijack the election from the local people, and as one of my constituents said last week, ‘don’t worry about it, the people of the 7th District are smarter than that,’ ” Peterson said in a statement to The Hill.

The ad buy is small — just $50,000 for cable TV spread over three weeks and two media markets.

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