Polls closed at 8 p.m. across western Minnesota on Tuesday, setting off vote counting in the state's sprawling Seventh Congressional District, where Republican incumbent Michelle Fischbach is seeking to hold the seat against Democratic challenger Erik Osberg. The district stretches across a huge swath of the state, covering counties including Big Stone, Chippewa, Clay, Cottonwood, Douglas, Grant, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Lac qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, McLeod, Marshall, Meeker, Morrison, Murray, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Redwood, Renville and Roseau, along with portions of Becker, Brown, Hubbard and Stearns counties.
Agriculture in the District
A county-level measure of the region's agricultural activity: according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Big Stone County had 392 farms in the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
As of early results, no counties in the district had finished reporting votes, according to a live results tracker from The New York Times. The Times says its early estimate of the race draws on pre-election polls, past election results and demographic data, and that it refines its model by comparing incoming results against those pre-election estimates as the night progresses. FOX 9 reported the race results using information from the Associated Press, candidate campaign websites and the station's prior coverage of the district.
A Rematch Rooted in a 2020 Upset
Fischbach won the seat in 2020, unseating longtime Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson, according to FOX 9. Before entering Congress, she served on the Paynesville City Council from 1994 to 1996 and in the Minnesota Senate from 1996 to 2018. In 2011, she became the first woman in Minnesota history to serve as Senate president.
FOX 9 reports that Fischbach serves on the House Ways and Means and Rules committees.
Osberg's Pitch to Voters
Osberg's campaign says it is focused on defending the Constitution and reducing corporate influence in politics, including by working to end the influence of the Citizens United decision. The campaign describes Osberg as a husband, father, former small business owner, current county employee and working-class Minnesotan.
The campaign says it accepts individual donations and no corporate PAC money. FOX 9, citing Osberg's campaign website, reports that his policy priorities include healthcare for all, federal education funding and strengthening rural economies.
When Results Become Official
Statewide, counting typically stretches well past election night. In 2024, 56 percent of Minnesota's votes had been reported by midnight Eastern time, with complete unofficial results available by the following noon, the Times noted in its coverage of this year's race. CNN was also tracking live results Tuesday night across all eight of Minnesota's U.S. House races as votes came in.
Whatever the count shows in the coming hours and days, none of it is final yet. Minnesota's Secretary of State's office says results for state and federal races, including the Seventh District contest, remain unofficial until the State Canvassing Board meets on November 19 to certify them. County results are likewise considered unofficial until local canvassing boards convene following the election.
