William Tell
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Well, he pulled it of. This is great news for not only the House Liberty Caucus, but Rand Paul's Presidential campaign.
Sharyn Jackson, [email protected] 12:27 a.m. CST November 5, 2014
(Photo: Special to the Register)
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Republican Rod Blum, a businessman who painted himself as a political outsider, defeated Democrat Pat Murphy on Tuesday in a tight race for Iowa's 1st Congressional District.
Blum, 59, a Dubuque native, will succeed U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Waterloo, who vacated his seat to run for U.S. Senate. The district is a gain for U.S. House Republicans.
The 1st District spans northeast Iowa and includes Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and Dubuque. Though it tends to vote Democratic, the district has a sizable share of independent and no-party voters. Registered voters include 33 percent Democrats, 28 percent Republicans and 40 percent no party or other.
In his victory speech, Blum said the win was not about him, but "about the future direction of the United States of America. It's about what kind of a country do we want our children and grandchildren to inherit?"
Restoring the American dream is the goal, he said.
Murphy had begun the race with momentum from a win in a five-way Democratic primary and the advantage of name recognition over Blum. Murphy is well known in the district, having spent 25 years in the Iowa Legislature.
But Murphy lost some of his edge as the campaign wore on. Blum gained visibility during a star-studded campaign that brought national figures to the district on his behalf.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida were among the surrogates — and potential GOP presidential candidates — to campaign for Blum.
Blum, the chairman of Digital Canal, a software company, frequently portrayed himself as an outsider running against a "career politician," saying that he would bring a CEO's skills to Washington.
"I'm proud not to be a politician," Blum said in a televised debate. "I'm a pragmatic businessman. I'm a problem-solver."
But he isn't without political experience. Blum ran for the same office in 2012, losing in the primary. He was Dubuque County GOP chairman from 1995 to 1997 and a Republican National Convention delegate in 1996.
Blum tended to stick to his party's message in his speeches, saying he would work to "repeal and replace" Obamacare after President Barack Obama's term ends and to secure the border before addressing undocumented immigrants already in the country. He also said he wanted to raise the Social Security retirement age and work across the aisle to come up with a plan to address its financial viability.
Murphy, too, toed party lines. He called for protecting the middle class and raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. He often touted his experience in the state Legislature, including as speaker of the Iowa House from 2007 to 2011, as the experience needed to be an effective freshman U.S. representative.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...strict-rod-blum-pat-murphy-election/18433935/
And he's from the first in the nation Caucus state too!
