First district Congressional candidate Rod Blum rolled out endorsements today from two Republicans who ran in the 2010 primary to represent IA-01. Will Johnson and Mike LaCoste cited Blum’s business experience and record of accomplishments in a press release I’ve posted after the jump. Those are major themes in the case Blum has been making against primary rival Ben Lange. LaCoste also echoed Blum’s appeal to stop sending attorneys and career politicians to Congress.
Lange easily won the 2010 nomination with more than twice as many votes as Johnson, his nearest competitor (pdf). LaCoste dropped out of that race a few weeks before the primary.
Any comments about the IA-01 campaign are welcome in this thread. Bleeding Heartland covered Lange’s endorsers here and here. Lange leads Blum in fundraising, though Democratic incumbent Bruce Braley has a larger campaign war chest than either of his GOP opponents. A detailed post on Braley’s case for re-election is in progress.
UPDATE: On April 30 the Liberty Iowa political action committee endorsed Blum. I’ve added the press release below. The Liberty Iowa PAC’s executive director, Adil Khan, worked for Ron Paul’s presidential campaign in Iowa and North Dakota.
Blum for Congress press release, April 27:
ROD BLUM RECEIVES KEY ENDORSEMENTS FROM THE FIRST DISTRICT
Dubuque, IA – Rod Blum, Congressional candidate for Iowa’s new 1st District, recently received two key endorsements from former Congressional candidates in the 1st District. Both Will Johnson and Mike LaCoste touted Mr. Blum’s experience in the private sector and his stances on the issues that matter most to Iowans.
Will Johnson, former Republican Candidate for Iowa’s 1st District in 2010, endorsed Mr. Blum recently and thanked him in the process for “answering the call to run and represent our conservative values.” Mr. Johnson continued by complementing the campaign itself as well, saying “Mr. Blum has the ideals, organization, experience and support to see this through and win. Having someone of Rod’s business acumen and long experience gives voters a distinct choice,” said Mr. Johnson, adding that Mr. Blum “will beat (Democrat incumbent) Bruce Braley decisively.”
Mike LaCoste, also a former Republican Candidate for Iowa’s 1st District, gave Mr. Blum his seal of approval saying “He is the only candidate in the race who has had a lifetime of experience and accomplishment. I strongly believe that serving in Congress is a privilege, NOT a career. We have too many lawyers in Washington, DC. Rod will take his real world common sense business experience to Washington.”
Mr LaCoste also emphatically added, “It’s easy to campaign on changing Washington, lowering taxes, cutting spending, but it will be an entirely different thing to stand up to Washington insiders once there. Rod Blum will never cave to the special interests and will strongly represent northeast Iowa conservative values.”
“I am deeply humbled to have received the endorsements of two outstanding conservative Republicans” Mr. Blum commented on the endorsements. “Together, we can all work towards our goal of defeating Bruce Braley in November and ensuring we send a Constitutional, pro-life, fiscal conservative to fight for Iowans in Washington DC.”
Liberty Iowa PAC press release, April 30:
Liberty Iowa Endorses Rod Blum
State PAC supports U.S. Congressional Candidate
Des Moines, Iowa – Liberty Iowa, a nonprofit political action committee based in Des Moines, has endorsed Rod Blum for U.S. Congress in the first congressional district. Blum joins a list of nearly a dozen candidates that the newly-formed PAC has formally endorsed for various offices across the state.
The endorsement comes in the midst of a flurry of political activity following the April 21st Republican district conventions, which saw a shuffling of the party power structure in favor of the state GOP’s more conservative elements.
Adil Khan, LIPAC’s Executive Director, said that the endorsement showcased his group’s desire to promote Constitutional conservatives in the wake of what one Republican State Central Committee member called a “conservative revival.” “We are proud to endorse candidates who reflect the values and priorities of Liberty Iowa, and who will be leaders in the fight for limited government and individual freedom,” said Khan. “Rod Blum has shown himself to be a friend to the cause of liberty, and we believe that his election will send a strong message to Washington D.C. that conservatism is alive and well in Iowa.”
Blum, a successful Dubuque entrepreneur, will face a primary challenge from Ben Lange for the right to square off against Rep. Bruce Braley (D) in the general election.
Blum’s campaign released this statement Monday morning regarding the endorsement: “It is truly a privilege to have my candidacy endorsed by Liberty Iowa PAC. This organization is at the forefront of a movement that will help us restore conservative, constitutional representation across Congressional District 1 and all over Iowa,” said Blum. “Like me, many of those involved with Liberty Iowa are tired of supporting Republican candidates that have not properly defined the reasons that they are running, or laid out their core beliefs for all of us to see. It is paramount to me that our Republican Platform of Iowa be adhered to without exception, and that our Liberties are always protected.”
Authorized and paid for by Liberty Iowa PAC www.LibertyIowa.com