Oberstar Wins 17th Term by Congressman James L. Oberstar Appearing in Press Release on 2006-11-08. Poised to Assume Chairmanship of the House Transportation Committee Duluth—Minnesota voters have swept Congressman Jim Oberstar into his 17th term in Congress and he is now poised to assume the chairmanship of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Minnesota is going to have a lot of clout in Congress,” said Oberstar. “I’m chairing the Transportation Committee and Collin Peterson will lead the Agriculture Committee. We are going to be able to accomplish great things for Minnesota and the nation.” Oberstar says the nation’s transportation infrastructure has suffered under Republican control of Congress and the White House. “ We need to make real investments in our roads, airports, ports and inland waterways. These are the arteries of our economy and they are falling into disrepair,” said Oberstar. “Right now, the lock system on the Mississippi River is too small to handle modern grain barges; those locks need to be upgraded so our farmers can ship their products to market at a competitive price. On the Great Lakes, we need a new lock at Sault St. Marie that can handle modern vessels.” Oberstar’s win comes after his challenger waged the most negative campaign that the 8th District has ever seen. However, Oberstar says that is in the past. In his victory speech on election night, Oberstar quoted President Lincoln’s second inaugural address, “With malice towards none and charity to all, let us go forward. It is not about the past, it is now about the future and about where we’re going to go for America, for Minnesota and for the 8th District.” ###

  Back to news