Iowa Rep. Blum among 25 House GOP members to oppose Boehner

CEDAR RAPIDS - First-term U.S. Rep. Rod Blum voted against re-electing Speaker of the House John Boehner in order 'to stand up to the status quo in Washington.”

Blum joined Iowa 4th District Rep. Steve King in voting for Florida Rep. Daniel Webster. Third District Rep. David Young, also a first-term Republican, voted for Boehner. In all, 25 of the 246 Republicans did not vote for Boehner. He needed 218 votes to be re-elected.

Iowa's lone House Democrat, Rep. Dave Loebsack of Iowa City, voted for Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, as did most House Democrats.

Although Boehner campaigned for Blum in late October, the Dubuque businessman said he was following the will of Eastern Iowans who elected him.

'While I know Speaker Boehner is a good man and I respect the job he has done as speaker, I must follow the will of the Eastern Iowans who rejected politics as usual in November and are calling for change in DC,” Blum said in a statement.

A Blum spokesman said Monday the congressman-elect was hearing from Iowans who wanted him to vote for a new leader who would move in a different direction as well as those who wanted Boehner to have an opportunity to work with the new Senate GOP majority.

Given the public's low approval rating of Congress, Blum said 'it's time for our elected officials to listen to the people and rethink business as usual so we can move our country forward together.”