Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks is making her closing argument in one of the tightest House races in the country, telling Fox News Digital the contest in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District comes down to “common sense over crazy communism.”
Miller-Meeks is defending her seat against former Democratic state Rep. Christina Bohannan, who the National Republican Congressional Committee has labeled a “DEI queen.” Miller-Meeks said Bohannan is “perfectly in alignment” with the Democratic Socialists of America.
“My opponent has not supported law enforcement, she tries to hide where she is on open borders, she has voted against every single tax cut while she was an Iowa legislator and said that the working family’s tax cut was dangerous and would get rid of all of it,” Miller-Meeks said. “Then she talks about in her campaign ads supporting tax cuts for the middle class. She also supported keeping boys in girls sports and boys and girls locker rooms.”
Miller-Meeks spoke with Fox News Digital at a Department of Agriculture roundtable in Prairie City, Iowa, where she discussed farmers’ needs and Trump administration efforts to cut back on farming regulations. She said her campaign will spend the final month before the election focused on constituent work and drawing contrasts with her opponent.
The congresswoman pointed to her record bringing a large steel mill to the district, manufacturing jobs, ethanol and biodiesel policy work for farmers, and efforts on water quality and conservation.
Voters nationally, including in Iowa, have voiced frustration over the economy, gas and diesel prices, and the Iran War. Miller-Meeks argued that handing power back to Democrats would reverse recent gains rather than offer relief.
“There’ll be no relief coming. They already said that they would get rid of all those policies.”
She said the Democratic Party has shifted further left and would unwind Republican-backed measures she credits with strengthening U.S. steel production and benefiting states like Iowa.
“Our bill on opening up energy production here in the United States did bring gasoline prices and diesel prices down at the first of the year,” Miller-Meeks said, adding that if Republican energy policy had been in place under the Biden administration, “we would have already had more biodiesel, which would have helped bring down diesel prices.”
Miller-Meeks argued Republicans will keep fighting to lower energy, housing, health care and prescription drug costs, create jobs, and root out government fraud and waste.
“It’s not just making prices affordable, but it’s also increasing wages and increasing jobs and good-paying jobs,” she said. “We have certainly done that with the policies that we’ve put in place that the Democrats would get rid of.”
Fraud Fight Following Feeding Our Future Scandal
Miller-Meeks also highlighted legislation she has led to target fraud in government programs after the Feeding Our Future scandal raised questions about accountability among state leaders. Her Medicaid Whistleblower Protection Act would create federal protections for Medicaid workers who report early signs of fraud. Her WALZ Act would require the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General to investigate any program that sees a 10% or greater increase in total payments over a six-month period within a fiscal year.
“Tackling corruption inside the government, inside government agencies, or in members of Congress or the administration, we’re gonna continue to do that and work to serve Iowans and the American people,” she said.
A Third Matchup, Rated a Toss-Up
This is Bohannan’s third run against Miller-Meeks after losing by less than a percentage point in 2024. Cook Political Report rates the race a “toss up,” citing Democratic momentum and headwinds facing Republicans in a midterm shaped by President Trump’s approval ratings and economic concerns.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Bohannan pushed back, accusing Miller-Meeks of “siding with drug companies, data centers, billionaires and party leadership at every turn” and calling it “self-serving.”
“What’s crazy is pretending to represent your constituents when you’re bought and sold. I’ll always put Iowa first–that’s common sense.”
