EMILY'S List endorses Christina Bohannan in Iowa's 1st Congressional District race
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
EMILY's List is wading into Iowa's congressional politics, backing 1st District Democratic candidate Christina Bohannan.
The abortion rights group supports Democratic women running for office and is a major fundraising force.
"Christina Bohannan is ready to hit the ground running and get Iowa's 1st Congressional District back on track," Jessica Mackler, the group's interim president, said in a statement. "The contrast couldn't be more clear: Mariannette Miller-Meeks is an anti-abortion extremist who's spent her time in Congress working to take away Iowans' rights, and Bohannan is a pro-choice champion who will always defend our fundamental reproductive freedom."
Bohannan, an Iowa City law professor and former state legislator, so far is the only Democrat to enter the race. If she is the nominee, it will set up a rematch with Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in November 2024.
Bohannan lost to Miller-Meeks in 2022 by nearly 7 percentage points as Iowa Republicans claimed victories up and down the midterm ballot.
Bohannan has said she intends to talk about access to reproductive health care throughout her campaign following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and Iowa Republicans' push for a six-week "fetal heartbeat" abortion ban.
"My view is we should go back to Roe v. Wade," Bohannan said in an August interview. "No more, no less. That's what people support."
Miller-Meeks has said in interviews she supports limits on abortions, with some exceptions. She has endorsed legislation banning abortions nationally at 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest or if the life of the mother is at risk. She has also co-sponsored legislation protecting life from the moment of conception that does not include exceptions but says women should not be prosecuted for the death of an unborn child.
The EMILY's List endorsement comes on the heels of a Nov. 7 election that saw progressives win abortion-centered races across the country.
Abortion rights supporters won an Ohio ballot measure and the Democratic governor of beet-red Kentucky held onto his office by campaigning on reproductive rights and painting his opponent as extremist.
A Democrat won an open seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after campaigning on his pledge to uphold abortion rights. And Democrats took full control of the Virginia statehouse, blocking Republicans from being able to pass new abortion restrictions.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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: EMILY'S List endorses Christina Bohannan in Iowa's 1st District race
