Republican newcomer hopes to challenge Loebsack in the fall
Posted: 04.23.2012 at 5:10 PM
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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Two newcomers to politics are vying for the chance to take on democratic incumbent Dave Loebsack for the seat in Iowa's Second Congressional District this fall.

John Archer sat down with us earlier this month, and we spoke to his primary opponent, Dan Dolan, Monday afternoon. The two candidates offer a similar platform, stressing job creation, deficit reduction and an emphasis on domestic energy.

Muscatine native Dolan said his background as a blue-collar American makes him the more dangerous challenger to Congressman Loebsack.

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"I don't believe he has the real world experience, so I think it's going to be a very - the contrast will be very severe... someone that creates jobs, someone that's been in the private sector and somebody that talked about it," Dolan said.

Either Archer or Dolan, whoever wins the primary election, will have the challenge of running against a democratic incumbent in a generally democratic district. Dolan said that is again where his experience comes into play.

"I mean, there's one occupation taking up almost half of Congress," he said, referring to lawyers. "I think we need business people in Congress. As a small business person, I'm a job creator, I'm an entrepreneur. I started from scratch and I want the next generation to be able to do what I did. I see firsthand how onerous government is destroying job creation in this country, that's what I think makes me a better candidate."