Another Republican presidential candidate will swing through Cedar Falls this week to rally support for freshman Rep. Rod Blum, R-Iowa.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal — one of the top visitors to Iowa among GOP candidates this cycle — will appear at Beck’s Sports Grill, 2210 College St., Thursday in downtown Cedar Falls, Blum’s campaign announced Tuesday morning.

The free public meet-and-greet from noon to 1 p.m. is set to center on the importance of sending Blum back to Capitol Hill in 2016.
Blum represents the Democratic-leaning 1st Congressional District. The district has become one of the most competitive of the 2016 cycle, with several declared Democratic and independent candidates, including Cedar Rapids City Councilor and 2014 Democratic lieutenant-governor candidate Monica Vernon and former “Saturday Night Live” actor Gary Krueger seeking the seat.
A slate of prominent GOP power players have dropped into the state over the past year to campaign for Blum.
In the 2014 midterms, Blum bested Democratic former Rep. Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, with a little more than 51 percent of the vote in what ended up being the closest of the state’s four congressional races.
— by Quentin Misiag