Gene Waldorf, a former DFL state Senator from St. Paul, told the St. Cloud Times that he'll run for Congress as an independent and challenge DFL U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson.

Says the paper:

Gene Waldorf represented part of St. Paul in the Legislature from 1977 to 1993, before retiring to Grey Eagle.

Now Waldorf has shed his longtime DFL affiliation — a response, he said Sunday, to the recent actions of Democrats in Congress.

Waldorf, 74, joins four Republicans vying to face Peterson, who’s been in office since 1990.

Waldorf plans to file soon with the Federal Election Commission to raise campaign funds. As an independent candidate, he will collect constituents’ signatures to try to get on the November ballot in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District.

Waldorf says he elected to run for Congress after observing Democrats’ conduct in the ongoing federal health care debate. Their “bribery” and “closed-door activities” don’t meet long-held ethical standards for lawmaking, Waldorf says.

“They’ve lost their integrity in dealing with legislation,” Waldorf said. “They’ve put their party interests ahead of the public.”

Waldorf considers himself a conservative; he wants to end congressional earmarks and limit federal spending. But Waldorf says he never considered becoming a Republican because they also spent irresponsibly when they controlled Congress.