New poll shows Blum leading Vernon in Iowa 1st District

CEDAR RAPIDS - A new poll of the U.S. House 1st District race shows GOP Rep. Rod Blum leading Democratic challenger Monica Vernon by 11 percentage points - 52 percent to 41 percent with a 4.9 percent margin of error.

The poll by the Polling Company shows that 'Eastern Iowans are responding to Congressman Blum's work to clean up Congress and reignite the economy,” said Blum spokesman Daniel Sunne.

The Polling Company, which is associated with Donald Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, found 49 percent of registered voters approved of Blum's performance and 47 percent hold a favorable view of the first-term businessman. By comparison, 33 percent of survey respondents had a favorable impression of Vernon.

Vernon's campaign manager noted a number of polls have shown a tight race in the 1st District.

'While the congressman may be complacent, Monica is working every day to reach out to voters and share her message,” Michelle Gajewski said.

A mid-October poll by the Democratic firm GBA Strategies showed Vernon leading the race 48 percent to 47 percent. Previous Polling Company and Loras College polls showed Blum ahead.