Blouin defeated Republican Tom Riley, an attorney from Cedar Rapids, in the general election.

Blouin was defeated by Tom Tauke in 1978, as part of a mid-term election that was the first phase of a conservative backlash, particularly in the Midwest.

[2] He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to be the first Director of the newly formed Information Security Oversight Office; he served from 1978 to 1980.

Blouin was director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development[4] from January 2003 to July 2005, and became a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2006.

McGuire also made significant contributions to Democratic candidates within the same time span, and supported Howard Dean's 2004 presidential bid.