Candidate profile: Dale Blanchard running for 14th district congressional seat

SOLON, Ohio - This isn't his first time around the block. Door after door, pamphlet after pamphlet, Dale Blanchard is hoping seven will be his lucky number. It's his seventh time running for the 14th congressional district race as the Democratic contender. If you haven't heard of him, you may soon see him knocking on your door.

"I'm Dale Blanchard running for Congress," is how Blanchard greeted folks as he campaigned by foot in a Solon residential area. 

"If I thought we had sufficient representation, I wouldn't be running for Congress," said Blanchard during our interview.

A Cleveland native, father of three and a husband, Blanchard has been living in Solon for 17 years. As we continued to talk with him, we discussed his stance on several issues. But of all the issues discussed, Blanchard said there's one that tops them all.

"Economy is the most important. As the economy goes, so does everything else."

Add jobs to into the mix and he believes the right plan isn't in place, which is why Blanchard told us all about his own "American Economic Recovery Plan" that he hopes to take to Washington. 

"I'm going to propose legislation to cut everybody's taxes by 5 percent for 2013. So it's a 5 percent tax cut on the first $150,000 of income for single people and on the first $300,000 of income for married couples…American consumers will start to spend more…and when they do, companies will continue to hire people. That's the first thing we want to do."

He's talking about a plan that utilizes money trickling up and out, instead of trickling down. If you're wondering where Blanchard gets his numbers from, he's an accountant. And he thinks that's what Washington needs.

"Being an accountant, you learn a lot more than just the accounting," said Blanchard, "… you learn about business in general, about economics, finance and money and banking and these are the types of skills people need to possess when they go to Congress."

This time, Blanchard will be running against Republican contender and Geauga County Prosecutor David Joyce, who was selected in August by GOP leaders to run after nine year incumbent Steven LaTourette opted out of the seat. 

Blanchard says he opposes the Paul Ryan Budget and most Tea Party agendas introduced by Republicans, and sides with the Democratic party on many issues, including Medicare and Social Security. But there is at least one area where he says he doesn't side with President Barack Obama.

"I think we need to be producing oil in this country," explained Blanchard.

He also has a financial explanation as to why he's the best choice for Ohio's 14th congressional district.

"My objective is to see our economy grow at somewhere between 6 percent and 8 percent per year continuously, without triggering an unacceptable level of inflation," said Blanchard, "… and I believe that, that is something that we can do.  And I want to do that."

For more information on Dale Blanchard, visit: http://daleblanchardforcongress.com/