House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson announced Friday that he will run for reelection in his rural Minnesota district, according to a source familiar with his plans, setting up a bitter battle as the the Democrat fights to keep his seat.

Peterson’s decision to run for reelection means that Democrats will try to hang onto a seat in a district that has grown more conservative. President Donald Trump, who won that district by 31 points in 2016, intends to campaign aggressively in the Midwest. POLITICO reported Peterson's plans earlier in the day before he declared the reelection bid.


"This wasn’t an easy decision for me because our country is so polarized right now, but that’s also why I want to ask the voters of western Minnesota to support me again," Peterson said in a statement. "There aren’t many like me left in Congress. Rural Democrats are few and far between and I’m concerned that rural America is getting left behind.”