GOP’s Blum holds on in Iowa fight

Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa), one of the House’s most vulnerable incumbents, is projected to hold on to his seat in Iowa’s most Democratic district. 

{mosads}Blum fought off Democratic challenger Monica Vernon, robbing the Democratic Party of one of its top opportunities to pick up a House seat this year. 

Both the House and Senate GOP have already secured their majorities for next year. 

Republican leaders pushed aggressively to keep Blum’s seat, which had been dubbed a toss-up. 

Both House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) made campaign stops for Blum. 

The week of Election Day, Blum held a 6-point advantage over his Democratic challenger, according to a poll by Loras College.

The former software company owner first won the Democratic-leaning district in 2014. 

This year, Blum has faced scrutiny that he and six other House Republicans caved to pressure from GOP leaders to switch their votes to kill an anti-LGBT discrimination bill.