Meet the Candidate: Iowa U.S. House 1st District: Rod Blum, Republican

Republican Rod Blum will face off with Democrat Pat Murphy in the general election.

Rod Blum

Age: 59

Date of birth: April 26, 1955

Place of birth: Dubuque

Grew up: Dubuque

Current home: Dubuque

Education: Loras College, finance degree; University of Dubuque, master's degree in business administration

Work history: Eagle Point Software, CEO, 1990-2000; Digital Canal, owner, 2000 to present

Political experience: Dubuque County GOP chair, 1995-97; Republican National Convention delegate, 1996

Civic involvement: Dubuque Senior sophomore boys' basketball coach, 2003-08; Hoover Presidential Library board member

Family: Wife, Karen; five children

Religious affiliation: Christian, Episcopal

Campaign website: rodblum.com

Twitter handle: @BlumforCongress

Facebook: facebook.com/blumforcongress

Top three issues

Economy: To grow our economy, we need to lower taxes on American businesses while eliminating all corporate tax loopholes. Let's level the playing field: Wall Street should not be treated any different from Main Street. We should also cut the red tape that costs American businesses over $1 trillion every year and reduces economic growth. We need to reduce uncertainty by providing a stable and predictable environment for business, which begins with repealing Obamacare. Fully developing American energy resources will lower the cost of doing business in America. Lawsuit abuse reform will help eliminate nuisance suits that cost businesses billions a year.

Government spending: Out-of-control spending by the federal government must be addressed before our national debt hurts our economy even further. We should take the simple step of freezing spending at 2014 levels until we have a budget surplus. According to Congressional Budget Office projections, this would happen in 2017. Next, we should pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution that also caps federal spending at 18 percent of GDP. If politicians want to spend more, the economy has to grow.

Health care: Repeal Obamacare and implement patient-centered reform. Obamacare is projected by the Congressional Budget Office to cost our economy 2.5 million jobs. Many Americans have lost their plans and their doctors. The president promised the average family would save $2,500 a year — but instead premiums are rising for Americans. The Affordable Care Act has not made health care more affordable, and we need to start fresh. Let's bring the costs down for consumers with common-sense reforms like allowing people to buy insurance across state lines, increasing access to health savings accounts, encouraging competition in the marketplace and eliminating government mandates that keep costs high.