Politics & Government

Winner of Blum, Lange Race Will Have Tough Battle Against Braley

Ben Lange and Rod Blum both want to be Republican voter's choice tomorrow. One of them will go on to face incumbent Democrat Bruce Braley for a seat in the U.S. Congress.

Either of the two Republican candidates duking it out for a primary win on Tuesday will face stiff competition in November's general election, a political watcher said.

Republicans will have a choice to make Tuesday. and are both hoping voters will choose them to take on incumbent Democrat Bruce Braley for Iowa's First District U.S. Congressional seat.

In 2010, the Congressional district map was redrawn after the state lost a seat in the House of Representatives. University of Northern Iowa political science professor Chris Larimer said that could give Braley an advantage.

Find out what's happening in Cedar Fallsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

"It has Scott County leaving. Scott County went for Lange in 2010," he said. "And Linn County now is part of the district, and of course that's a very urban Democratic district with Cedar Rapids."

That doesn't mean Braley is guaranteed a win. In 2010, he beat Lange by less than two percentage points despite outspending the Republican five to one. Both Lange and Blum have brought in endorsements that could help motivate their base; Iowa Right to Life endorsed Lange, and Blum has picked up Tea Party nods.

Find out what's happening in Cedar Fallsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The first district added 11 counties in 2010. It now includes Linn, Worth, Mitchell, Howard, Winneshiek, Allamakee, Bremer, Fayette, Clayton, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque, Marshall, Tama, Benton, Jones, Jackson, Poweshiek and Iowa counties.

Have you decided who will get your vote? Tell us who, and why, in the comments.

Read more about this race:



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Cedar Falls