U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach wins tightly contested GOP endorsement in western Minnesota

Brooks Johnson, Star Tribune on Apr 26, 2026

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Three-term U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach won the Republican endorsement on April 25 following a drawn-out convention in Minnesota’s Seventh Congressional District.

It took multiple rounds of voting for the incumbent to secure the nomination at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall on Saturday, April 25, according to observers.

Republican activist and veteran Dave Hughes challenged Fischbach for the party’s nomination in the district, which spans nearly the entire western third of the state.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Fischbach tweeted after the vote. “Republicans in #MN07 are united behind proven conservative leadership, defending our majority in the US House, and driving turnout to turn MN Red!”

Hughes is a retired Air Force major from Karlstad who has run in the district multiple times, including in 2020. That year, Fischbach won the GOP nomination and went on to topple longtime incumbent Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson in the general election.

Hughes was endorsed by the Republican Party in 2016 and 2018 in the district, but he lost to Peterson both years.

Democrats endorsed Erik Osberg of Wadena on Saturday at the DFL convention.

“I am humbled and honored by the support,” Osberg posted to social media. “Our task now becomes uniting western Minnesota in the common cause of restoring our representation at the federal level. Forever grateful for all the hard work so many people are putting in to this campaign. Say it with me. WE CAN DO BETTER!”

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