Christina Bohannan and U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks debate Monday. Here's how to watch.

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Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks will debate Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan for the first time next week.

Iowa PBS is hosting the candidates Monday on Iowa Press in Johnston at 7 p.m. for an hour-long debate that could be the only of the 1st Congressional District race. As of Tuesday, the candidates have not agreed to debate more than once despite receiving at least two other invitations.

Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (left) is being challenged by Democratic Iowa state Rep. Christina Bohannan in the Nov. 8 election for Iowa's 1st Congressional District.
Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (left) is being challenged by Democratic Iowa state Rep. Christina Bohannan in the Nov. 8 election for Iowa's 1st Congressional District.

Miller-Meeks, of Ottumwa, and Bohannan, a state representative from Iowa City, are running to represent Iowa's 1st Congressional District in southeastern Iowa. Miller-Meeks has represented the 2nd Congressional District since 2020, while Bohannan was elected to the Legislature that same year.

Here's what you need to know ahead of the debate Monday.

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How do I watch the Iowa 1st Congressional District debate?

The program will air live on statewide Iowa PBS and be streamed on iowapbs.org, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, according to a news release from Iowa PBS. The link to the YouTube livestream has been posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah5HXp251rc.

Spanish translations will be available for Iowa Press Debates: 1st Congressional District via SAP. Episodes with Spanish audio and subtitles will be available on demand on iowapbs.org and YouTube.

In addition to its statewide broadcast, Iowa PBS is available to livestream on iowapbs.org/watch, pbs.org/livestream, the PBS Video App and YouTube TV.

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Who will moderate the debate?

Bohannan and Miller-Meeks will answer questions from reporters and discuss their platforms, concerns and priorities if elected. Kay Henderson, host of Iowa Press, will moderate the debate with a panel of Iowa political journalists asking the candidates questions. There will be no studio audience during the debate.

The candidates will answer questions from reporters Clay Masters of Iowa Public Radio and Stephen Gruber-Miller of The Des Moines Register.

What to know about the 1st Congressional District race

Miller-Meeks won her seat in the 2020 U.S. House race against Democrat Rita Hart after longtime Congressman Dave Loebsack, a Democrat, decided to retire from what was the 2nd Congressional District. The race was one of the closest federal elections in history, decided by six votes.

The redistricting process after the 2020 U.S. Census largely kept the district within the same area of southeast Iowa, but Miller-Meeks' hometown of Ottumwa was removed and the district swapped names with the previous 1st District to the north.

Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor, announced she would run for the seat in August 2021 while Miller-Meeks formally decided she would run in the new 1st District in November after declaring her intention to run for reelection earlier that year. Neither had a challenger in the June 7 primary election.

Both candidates have been traveling the 20-county district, getting to know their current and possible future constituents. Since Labor Day, the race has begun to get into full swing and both are now running television advertisements.

The Press-Citizen has followed both campaigns to several key counties, asking them about the district and its residents. Both candidates have answered questions on abortion, gun control, agriculture, education and more.

Websites that rate the competitiveness of races, like Inside Elections, FiveThirtyEight and the Cook Political Report, have mixed reviews of Iowa's 1st Congressional District, but have typically given Republicans slight advantages over Democrats.

The most recent Iowa Poll showed voters favor Republicans in the district, but the poll did not name Miller-Meeks or Bohannan.

You can learn more about both candidates and their campaigns by reading the Press-Citizen's expansive coverage:

Why is there only one debate between Bohannan and Miller-Meeks?

Elliott Husbands, the manager for the Miller-Meeks campaign, told the Press-Citizen that as of this week they will only be doing the Iowa Press debate. He said they haven't yet been asked by the Bohannan campaign for more debates and the campaign's schedule for the remaining 48 days until Election Day makes scheduling another difficult.

Sarah Prineas, the manager for the Bohannan campaign, said they received invitations for debates from KWQC in Davenport and KGAN Iowa News Now in Cedar Rapids and accepted both. She said she was told the Miller-Meeks campaign declined one invitation and has not responded to the other.

In the past, this congressional seat has hosted several debates before Election Day, but not always.

Miller-Meeks debated Democrat Rita Hart at least twice on Iowa Press and KWQC before Election Day in 2020. Republican Christopher Peters debated Loebsack once on Iowa Press, but Loebsack pulled out of a second debate in the Quad Cities because the Libertarian candidate that year was not included, according to WHO13.

Prineas said she hopes more debates will happen this year and said Bohannan hopes to have more opportunities to tell her story and share her vision for Iowa.

"I think it is unfortunate that Christina's opponent isn't willing to face voters and answer tough questions in this manner more than once," Prineas said. "I do think this one debate is going to make the contrast very clear."

What to watch for in this debate

Miller-Meeks and Bohannan have sparred on the issues for months, both before and after the primary election, but Bohannan has taken more direct aim at her opponent recently.

Bohannan will likely continue to call Miller-Meeks out on her first-term voting record, which included voting against major bills like the American Rescue Plan Act, the CHIPS Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Bohannan will have to continue introducing herself to the voters she hopes to represent. She will have to tell her story and pitch her candidacy to viewers more than Miller-Meeks since she has less name recognition, especially outside of Iowa City.

Miller-Meeks, like other Republicans, will likely focus on the economy and inflation in a pitch to change control of Congress from Democrats to Republicans. Her campaign messaging hasn't been shy about her disdain for Democratic leadership and the bills they have passed.

So far, Miller-Meeks has not named her opponent in advertisements and does not directly mention Bohannan at her campaign events.

George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (515) 350-6307, GShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Miller-Meeks, Bohannan debate Monday on Iowa PBS for U.S. House seat