Christina Bohannan announces run for Congress, setting up rematch with Rep. Miller-Meeks
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Iowa City law professor and former state legislator Christina Bohannan will run for Congress in Iowa’s 1st District, setting up a rematch with Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in 2024.
Bohannan will formally launch her campaign at an event Tuesday night in Davenport alongside Quad City Federation of Labor President Dan Gosa and other union members, she told the Des Moines Register.
“I have been traveling all throughout this district over the last several months as well as when I ran in 2022, and it has never been more clear that we need a change in our representation,” Bohannan said in an interview.
Bohannan lost to Miller-Meeks in 2022 by nearly 7 percentage points as Iowa Republicans claimed victories up and down the midterm ballot.
“I know that our message is resonating,” Bohannan said of the possible rematch. “Whenever I show the contrast between me and Rep. Miller-Meeks, it is very clear. … I mean, you name it, she has been against just about everything that could help southeast Iowans. So what we need to do is get that message out far and wide and reach people that maybe didn't hear from us last time.”
1st Congression District rated as 'likely Republican' victory by election analysts
Iowa’s 1st Congressional District — which spans southeastern Iowa and stretches into Marion, Warren and Jasper counties in south-central Iowa — is one of 33 targeted races identified by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
The districts are “critical battlegrounds” — either open seats or ones currently represented by Republicans that Democrats believe they can flip to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
According to data from the Secretary of State, 34% of active voters in Iowa’s 1st District are registered as Democrats, 36% are registered as Republicans and 29% are registered as “no party.”
But elections analysts say the race is not among the most competitive in the country, with the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections categorizing it as a “likely Republican” victory.
Bohannan will begin at a fundraising disadvantage to Miller-Meeks, an ophthalmologist from Ottumwa, who has been raising money since taking office last year.
Miller-Meeks has about $1.1 million in cash on hand. At the end of 2022, Bohannan reported having about $30,000 in her campaign account.
Bohannan said raising money is important, but it’s even more important to bring in money from ordinary Iowans and not special interests.
“My job is to bring in the resources I need and get the support I need from Iowans and from small-dollar donors,” she said. “And we did that successfully last time. And we plan to do that again this time.”
Christine Bohannan to target health care, abortion in her campaign
In her previous race, Bohannan made access to rural health care a core issue of her campaign, and she said that will remain true going into 2024.
In addition, she said, she’ll be talking about access to reproductive health care following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the state's efforts to enact a "fetal heartbeat" abortion bill banning the procedure around six weeks of pregnancy.
"My view is we should go back to Roe v. Wade," she said. "No more, no less. That's what people support."
Bohannan said that Iowans see “that there’s some real dysfunction in Congress” as Republicans focus on “culture war” issues.
“They're seeing that people like Rep. Miller-Meeks are lining up with those extreme members of their party,” Bohannan said. “They are not getting anything done. They are holding the middle class and small businesses in our economy hostage to conspiracy theories and cultural war issues, and that is not popular. So I think that people know that we need change. And so as we move forward in this election cycle, that's the message that we’ll get out.”
Miller-Meeks campaign says it is confident voters favor conservative candidate
A spokesperson for Miller-Meeks said in a statement that the campaign welcomes Bohannan into the race.
"Voters who expect common-sense leadership rejected her in 2022 because her liberal views are completely out of step with the majority of the district — and nothing has changed since then," Miller-Meeks' campaign spokesperson Eric Woolson said. "In fact, voters in 19 of the 1st District's 20 counties favored Congresswoman Miller-Meeks last year, and I'm sure they'll do so again in 2024 because they appreciate her efforts to control inflation, create jobs and fair trade opportunities, defend our values and strengthen our national security."
The DCCC has also targeted Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, which is represented by first-term congressman Zach Nunn. So far, no Democrats have entered that race.
Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson is also so far unchallenged in Iowa's 2nd District.
Democrat Ryan Melton has announced a run against 4th District U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra after losing to him in 2022.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Christina Bohannan to run for Congress in Iowa's 1st District in 2024
