Rod Blum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rod Blum
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 1st district |
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| In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Bruce Braley |
| Succeeded by | Abby Finkenauer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Rodney Leland Blum
April 26, 1955 Dubuque, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Karen Blum |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Loras College (BA) University of Dubuque (MBA) |
Rodney "Rod" Leland Blum (born April 26, 1955) is an American businessman and politician. From 2015 to 2019, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Iowa's 1st congressional district. The House of Representatives is one of the two parts of the U.S. Congress, where laws are made for the country.
Blum is a member of the Republican Party. He has called himself a member of the Tea Party movement, a group within the Republican Party that supports lower taxes and less government spending. He was first elected in 2014 and won a second term in 2016. In 2018, he lost his election to Abby Finkenauer of the Democratic Party.
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Early Life and Career
Rod Blum was born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa. He went to Loras College and earned a degree in finance. Later, he earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Dubuque.
Before entering politics, Blum had a career in business. He was the CEO of a software company called Eagle Point Software from 1990 to 2000. Since 2000, he has owned another software company called Digital Canal. He was also the leader of the Republican Party in Dubuque County from 1995 to 1997.
U.S. House of Representatives
As a representative, Blum was part of the lawmaking process in Washington, D.C. He was a member of several groups in Congress that focused on specific issues.
Elections
2014 Election
In 2014, Blum won the Republican primary election. He then ran against the Democratic candidate, Pat Murphy, in the main election. Blum won with 51% of the vote. His victory was considered a surprise because the district had more registered Democrats at the time.
2016 Election
Blum ran for a second term in 2016. He faced Democrat Monica Vernon in the general election. Blum won the election with 54% of the vote.
2018 Election
In 2018, Blum ran for a third term. He was defeated by the Democratic candidate, Abby Finkenauer.
Electoral History
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Abby Finkenauer | 169,348 | 50.9% | |||
| Republican | Rod Blum (incumbent) | 152,940 | 46.0% | |||
| Libertarian | Troy Hageman | 10,228 | 3.1% | |||
| Total votes | 332,516 | 100.00% | ||||
| Democrat gain from Republican | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rod Blum (incumbent) | 206,903 | 54% | |
| Democratic | Monica Vernon | 177,403 | 46% | |
| (Write-ins) | Others | 671 | 0.2% | |
| Total votes | 384,977 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rod Blum | 145,383 | 51% | |||
| Democratic | Pat Murphy | 138,335 | 49% | |||
| (Write-ins) | Others | 348 | 0.12% | |||
| Total votes | 284,066 | 100.00% | ||||
| Republican gain from Democrat | ||||||
Work in Congress
While in Congress, Blum served on several committees. Committees are small groups of representatives who focus on specific topics, like farming or technology.
- Committee on Small Business
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
He was also a member of several caucuses. A caucus is a group of members of Congress who share similar interests or goals.
- Congressional Slovak Caucus
- Congressional Term Limits Caucus
- Freedom Caucus
- Republican Study Committee
Political Views
Blum described himself as a "Tea Party Republican." During his time in office, he often voted with other Republicans. As of October 2017, he had voted with his party 90% of the time and with President Trump's position 94% of the time.
Environment
Blum has said he is "skeptical" about the idea that human activities are the main cause of climate change. He was against the government making rules to limit greenhouse gas emissions. An environmental group, the League of Conservation Voters, gave him a score of 3% based on his voting record.
Health Care
Blum wanted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. In 2017, he voted for a Republican bill called the American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA). He said the bill would lower insurance costs for Iowans and protect people with pre-existing health conditions.
Economic Issues
Blum supported a balanced budget for the government and wanted to limit government spending. He was against raising the federal minimum wage. He voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, a law that lowered taxes for many people and businesses.
Government Reform
Blum wanted to change how Congress works. He helped start the Congressional Term Limits Caucus, which supports limiting how many terms a person can serve in Congress. He also supported rules to stop lawmakers from flying first class or leasing luxury cars with government money. In 2015, he returned $102,000 from his office budget to the United States Treasury to help pay down the national debt.
Immigration
In 2017, Blum supported an executive order by President Donald Trump. The order temporarily stopped immigration from seven countries. Blum said it was important to make sure people could be properly checked before entering the U.S.
Personal Life
Blum lives in Dubuque with his wife, Karen. They have five children. He is an Episcopalian.
In 2018, Blum faced an ethics inquiry. It was about whether he had properly reported his connection to a company he helped create. The House Ethics Committee reviewed the case. Blum said the inquiry was a political attack.
