WILLMAR - Long Prairie pharmacist Michael Barrett was endorsed on a unanimous ballot Saturday at Minnesota's 7th District Republican Congressional Convention in Willmar.
Barrett, the only Republican seeking the seat, will challenge long-time DFL incumbent Collin Peterson of Detroit Lakes in the November election, who was endorsed last weekend.
Illegal immigration was cited by Barrett as the top issue on voters mind in the 35 counties of the 7th District.
"Everyday in America should be a day without illegal immigrants," Barrett said.
Peterson "cares more about illegal immigrants" than he does about "law abiding citizens," Barrett said.
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Barrett noted his success in moving the "pharmacists' conscience clause" through the legislative process. The clause would allow pharmacists to decline to fill prescriptions, like emergency contraception pills, that they disapprove of for moral or religious reasons
Barrett is an Osakis High School graduate who earned his pharmacy degree from North Dakota State University in Fargo. He manages the Long Prairie Memorial Hospital pharmacy and lives in Browerville.
The 7th District roughly comprises the western one-third of Minnesota, stretching from Marshall and Hutchinson north to the Canadian border, and includes the towns of Willmar, Bemidji, Moorhead, Fergus Falls, and Roseau.
