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Washington, D.C. – LCV Victory Fund announced today that Congressman Rod Blum of Iowa’s 1st district will take the sixth spot on the House Dirty Dozen list. For more than 20 years, the Dirty Dozen has featured some of the most anti-environment candidates running for office across the country — and this year, the list has been expanded to reflect our biggest investment ever in House races.
Blum has routinely voted against clean water, clean air, clean energy, and public health. He’s also a climate change skeptic who doesn’t trust scientists. In an interview with Iowa Public Radio, Blum said: “I can see why the average citizen is skeptical about this. I guess you can put me in that camp. I’m skeptical… We go from that, to now global warming, and that’s been changed to climate change. I’m not a scientist, and I know most scientists’ paychecks come from the federal government, and so right away that makes me a bit skeptical.”
“Rod Blum personifies why so many call Washington the ‘swamp,’” said Pete Maysmith, LCV Victory Fund Senior Vice President for Campaigns. “He has proved he can’t be trusted, consistently voting against Iowans’ health, clean air and protecting clean water. Meanwhile, he is raking in the cash from polluters and is under investigation for lying on federal reports. Iowans deserve better.”
Throughout his career, Blum has taken more than $63,000 in campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry. He votes with polluters and votes to tear down environmental protections – which has earned him a 2 percent lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard and a 0 percent score in 2017. Some of his worst votes recently include voting to block safeguards against air pollution, voting to block the Clean Power Plan, and voting to block the EPA from setting limits on methane pollution.
Blum is also currently under an ethics investigation after failing to disclose his role as a founding Director of Tin Moon Corporation. Tin Moon helps businesses with questionable practices hide damaging information online.
LCV Action Fund has endorsed Abby Finkenauer in the race, calling her “an important voice in a new generation of environmental leaders.”
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Paid for by LCV Victory Fund, www.lcvvictoryfund.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.