Latest news with #MillerMeeks
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Christina Bohannan feels empowered by close 2024 finish and toss-up of IA-01 race in 2026
Jul. 4—Democrat Christina Bohannan doesn't feel defeated. In fact, she is emboldened by her narrow loss to Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks back in 2024, which was decided by less than 800 votes. Knowing victory was close, her third campaign for Congress is motivated to get those votes she lost. During a recent trip to Newton, Bohannan told local Democrats that she will be giving extra attention on Jasper County and Warren County for 2026. The candidate said her campaign outperformed expectations during the last election, only losing to Miller-Meeks by a 0.2 percent margin. "Outperformed by more than eight points across the entire district, by 15 points in the more rural and reddest counties in the district; 33,000 people who voted for Donald Trump also voted for me," Bohannan said on June 28 in Maytag Park. "And that doesn't just happen, friends. That kind of stuff doesn't just happen." Bohannan credited the work to local parties and supporters who donated to her campaign or knocked doors. It made a difference, she said, and it was because that race was so close is why she was standing in front of them again, ready to take on Miller-Meeks once more. However, Bohannan is convinced the 2026 election cycle is going to be different. She noted that in the past the race for Iowa's 1st Congressional District has been favored for Republicans, which was certainly true in Bohannan's first bid for the seat back in 2022. It took work from 2024 to make the election a toss-up. Christina Bohannan, a Democratic candidate seeking her third bid for Iowa's 1st Congressional District seat, speaks during a potluck picnic hosted by the Jasper County Democratic Party on June 28 in Maytag Park in Newton. For 2026, Bohannan said the seat is already considered a toss-up race, a notion that is backed up by a number of political analysts and the results from 2024. "We showed we can win," Bohannan said. "...People are fed up and they are fired up. We have been seeing these rallies. Some of them I know went to some of those recently. Hundreds and thousands of people are showing up to protest representatives like Mariannette Miller-Meeks all throughout Iowa." Why? Bohannan claimed it is because Miller-Meeks does not represent her constituents and gets her political agenda from party leaders. The Democratic candidate argued her Republican opponent is compromised and votes by what her donors and corporate PACs want, rather than the people she represents. "I get my political agenda from you," Bohannan said. Miller-Meeks is "making life worse for Iowans" and is putting "party bosses, corporate PACs and billionaire donors" ahead of her own constituents. Bohannan said she cannot stand by and let that happen. Miller-Meeks has had three terms in Congress. To Bohannan, she has had three chances to do right by Iowans. "And every single time she has sold us out," Bohannan said. "She has sold us out to divisive party politics. She has sold us out to the billionaires and the corporate PACs who fund her campaign and who help her get re-elected no matter how bad she's been. But enough is enough. It is time for a change."
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Christina Bohannan makes third run for Iowa's 1st Congressional District
Jun. 21—History shows that just because a candidate makes multiple attempts to win an election doesn't mean they can't eventually pull through. U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks lost a number of times to Dave Loebsack before winning Iowa's 1st Congressional District seat in a close 2020 election. Now her past Democratic challenger, Christina Bohannan, is attempting the same thing for the 2026 election cycle, provided she is the favorite in the primary. On June 17, Bohannan announced her campaign to take on Miller-Meeks once again. In a press release, her campaign said Bohannan nearly defeated Miller-Meeks in 2024 — less than 800 votes decided the election — and that the Democrat "outworked, outraised and outmatched her." Bohannan said, "Mariannette Miller-Meeks has had three terms in Congress — three chances to do right by the people of Iowa. Instead, she has taken over $4 million from corporate special interests and done nothing but vote their way. And she has put partisan politics over Iowans again and again. From cutting billions of dollars from Medicaid in the Trump Administration's One Big Beautiful Bill, to siding with DOGE's cuts to Social Security and enabling unelected, unaccountable billionaires like Elon Musk, Bohannan said the Republican congresswoman has forgotten about her constituents. "It's time someone put Iowa first," Bohannan said. Bohannan went on to say Miller-Meeks needs to explain "why she keeps putting Washington special interests first." The Democratic challenger claimed Miller-Meeks supported Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, repeatedly voted for cost-increasing tariffs and is a member of the DOGE Caucus. Bohannan previously worked as an engineer and taught at the University of Iowa College of Law for 20 years. She also worked as an elected legislator for the Iowa House, defeating a 20-year incumbent in District 85. Bohannan is running for Congress because she believes in a government that works for the people. In May, another Democrat announced he would be running for Iowa's 1st Congressional District. Bob Krause, a former legislator who also tried running for U.S. Senate, announced his campaign with the slogan "Flip The House With Krause." Krause said Miller-Meeks votes "like Trump's rubber stamp." Travis Terrell, a Democrat from Johnson County, also announced his bid for Iowa's 1st Congressional District race. His campaign page on Facebook notes he is a working-class, New Deal Democrat fighting for healthcare, fair wages and a government that serves other working-class people and not billionaires. In addition to Miller-Meeks likely running for the seat, fellow Republican and former primary challenger David Pautsch announced in February that he would also be running for the seat. Pautsch touts himself as a MAGA Republican. He has been critical of Miller-Meeks, saying she is not conservative enough.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former congressional candidate seeks third match against Miller-Meeks
The Democrat who's faced off against Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) twice and came within 1,000 voters of ousting her last year has announced she'll try to defeat the incumbent a third time. Christina Bohannan, who formerly served in the Iowa State House, launched her third straight campaign for Iowa's 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, seeking to build on her 2024 performance in which she nearly pulled off an upset. Bohannan said Miller-Meeks has had 'three chances to do right by the people of Iowa' in her three House times but accused her of putting 'partisan politics over Iowans.' 'From cutting Medicaid, to siding with DOGE's devastating cuts to Social Security, to enabling unelected, unaccountable billionaires like Elon Musk – Miller-Meeks has forgotten about us,' Bohannan said. 'It's time someone put Iowa first.' Bohannan first ran for the House in 2022 but lost to Miller-Meeks by 7 points. But she ran in one of the closest races of the 2024 cycle last year in a rematch, losing by less than two tenths of a point in a contest that went to a recount. Her campaign noted that she outraised Miller-Meeks by $1.4 million last cycle and outperformed the Democratic presidential ticket by 8.2 points, more than any other candidate facing an incumbent Republican that the national party targeted. It argued her performance forced Cook Political Report and other election analysts to consider the race a toss-up heading into next year. House Republicans' campaign arm spokeswoman Emily Tuttle cast doubt on Bohannan's chances of pulling off a win after two unsuccessful attempts. 'When will Christina learn? Iowans have rejected her twice already, and now she has to run to the left to beat radical Bob Kraus and Bernie-bro Travis Terrell in the primary,' Tuttle said, referring to the two other Democrats already in the race. 'There's no doubt whoever comes out of this liberal rat race will be sent packing when Iowans re-elect America First fighter Mariannette Miller-Meeks next fall,' she added. The seat could be key as Democrats seek to win back control of the House, where they currently have a narrow minority. Updated at 8:11 a.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Christina Bohannon announces 3rd run for Iowa's 1st Congressional District
Democrat Christina Bohannan announced her third consecutive run for Iowa's 1st Congressional District in the 2024 race between Bohannan and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Miller-Meeks won by a less than one percent margin. Bohannan says she plans to run on a campaign of focusing on people in the district instead of political parties and Washington D.C. 'I didn't know whether I would run again, but I have been getting hundreds of calls, emails, texts and good old fashioned letters in the mail from people really strongly encouraging me to run again,' Bohannon told Our Quad Cities News. 'You know, they met me during the course of the campaign. I spent the better part of the last four years I traveled to every corner of the district and talking to people.' As of right now, two other Democrats Bob Kraus and Travis Terrell are also in the race for the seat. In response to Bohannan's announcement, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee said in part, 'There's no doubt whoever comes out of this liberal rat race will be sent send packing when Iowans re-elect America First fighter Mariannette Miller-Meeks next fall.' Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann also responded, saying in part, 'Two-time loser Christina Bohannan is back, trying for strike three in a crowded primary where even her own party knows she can't win.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
