A 2021 video has resurfaced showing Iowa Democrat Christina Bohannan calling the state’s Back the Blue law an “overreaction” during a virtual legislative forum on social justice issues, as she runs for the third time to unseat Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, in one of the nation’s closest House races.
“I think that we’re seeing a backlash and, frankly, an exaggerated backlash, an overreaction to all of that,” Bohannan said at the time. “That’s what’s happening. A lot of this is happening because they just don’t have a lot of minorities in their districts. They don’t interact with people on any kind of regular basis, and, so, they don’t see these issues.”
Bohannan is a state legislator who taught at the University of Iowa College of Law until 2020, when she won a seat in the Iowa House by unseating a 20-year Democratic incumbent. She has run against Miller-Meeks twice before. In 2022 she lost 53.4% to 46.6%. In 2024 she came within 799 votes, losing 50.0% to 49.8%.
What the Law Did
Bohannan was referring to Senate File 342, signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2021. The measure raised penalties for rioting to a class D felony punishable by five years in prison and stiffened penalties for unlawful assembly. It came after riots and unrest broke out nationwide following the 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. While states such as Minnesota and Washington moved to place new restrictions on law enforcement, Iowa lawmakers went the other direction and moved to shield officers and toughen penalties for rioters.
Republican state Rep. Jarad Klein, who sponsored the bill, framed the vote in stark terms on the House floor: “Let me be clear: If you support law enforcement, truly support law enforcement, you will be voting ‘yes’ tonight. If you stand up and say you support law enforcement, your words will become meaningless with a ‘no’ vote. Actions speak louder than words.”
Gov. Reynolds said at the signing: “I made it clear in my Condition of the State Address that Iowa’s law enforcement will always have my respect, and I will always have their back. Today’s bill embodies that commitment in a historic way. The public peace is too important, and the safety of our officers too precious to tolerate destructive behavior.”
Bohannan’s Objection
Bohannan opposed the bill at the time, arguing it went too far in protecting drivers who struck protesters. “The bill that’s coming over to the House from the Senate about the protestors actually would make it OK for a person to drive negligently or grossly negligently and hit a protester, and there would be immunity for that. It’s sick. These are kids, mostly,” she said.
The final version of the law does include a civil liability shield for drivers, but it only applies to those “exercising due care” who injure someone engaged in disorderly conduct by blocking traffic on a public street or highway.
Republican Response
RNC spokesperson Zach Kraft criticized Bohannan in a statement to Fox News Digital: “Christina Bohannan achieved the ultra-rare final boss level of woke where police are bad, criminals are good and anyone who disagrees is racist. There is a reason why this DEI queen has been rejected twice by voters. She is straight up nuts, and her soft-on-crime agenda would endanger all Iowans.”
Bohannan’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the 2021 remarks or whether she still holds those views on the Back the Blue law.
