Iowa’s 1st Congressional District race is one of the most competitive U.S. House races in the country. Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks is facing a challenge from Democrat Christina Bohannan, in a rematch of the 2022 midterm election.
Bohannan, a law professor at the University of Iowa and former state representative, lost that race by about 20,000 votes. But with the presidency on the ballot, she thinks 2024 will be different.
“A lot of times young people feel like your vote doesn't’ matter that much,” Bohannan told a group of University of Iowa students at a campaign event on reproductive justice with Planned Parenthood. “That, you know, one vote, how can that make a difference? Friends, there has never been a time when each and every individual vote mattered more than it does now. And the people in this room could have decided the 2020 election six times over.”
In 2020, Miller-Meeks first won her seat by six votes. Almost 90,000 more people voted in the congressional race that presidential year than in the 2022 midterm.
Miller-Meeks recalled that razon-thin margin at a Back the Blue event in Wilton.
There has never been a time when each and every individual vote mattered more than it does now. And the people in this room could have decided the 2020 election six times over.Democratic candidate Christina Bohannan
“I started the unofficial landslide caucus for those members of Congress who won by less than 1,000 votes,” she said.
While traveling the 1st District asking supporters to help her defend her seat in Congress, Miller-Meeks emphasized the impact this part of Iowa could have on a national scale.
“We’ve got a president on the ticket. That president is going to need every single vote. President Trump needs the House,” she said.
Sen. Joni Ernst, who is not up for reelection this year, joined Miller-Meeks on the campaign trail and told Republican voters to help keep Iowa’s federal delegation conservative.
“We need to make sure that we are not taking these races for granted, because we need Mariannette back,” Ernst said. “For the first time since 1957 we have an all Republican delegation in Washington, D.C. Lets not flush that down the toilet.”
The Cook Political Report, which provides non-partisan election analysis, has ranked the 1st District race as a "toss up." It’s one of only 25 races that has a good chance of going either way, along with Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.
“Iowa districts one and three races are very important to the overall distribution of how the U.S. House comes out for Democrats and Republicans,” said University of Iowa Political Science Professor Sara Mitchell.
We’ve got a president on the ticket. That president is going to need every single vote. President Trump needs the House.Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks
The 1st District covers much of southeastern Iowa, including Davenport, Iowa City, Burlington, Fort Madison, Oskaloosa, Newton and Indianola.
According to voter registration data from the Iowa Secretary of State, there are about 20,000 more active Republican voters registered than Democrats in the district. "No party" voters also make up 30.9% of active voters in the district. There are about 12,000 more inactive registered Democrats than Republicans.
One issue that could influence voters is abortion. This summer, an Iowa law went into effect that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
Bohannan said Iowa’s new law is too restrictive and she wants Roe v. Wade to be put into federal law.
“When I am in Congress, I will push to codify Roe v. Wade and get the right back before all of this craziness started. And that’s what we’ve got to do in this election,” she said.
Bohannan says Miller-Meeks is extreme on abortion, citing her sponsorship of the Life at Conception Act in 2021, which would have given a fetus the protection of personhood, essentially making abortion illegal without exceptions.
In this campaign, Miller-Meeks says there should be exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.
Miller-Meeks has also been vocal about wanting to protect IVF. In September she introduced a bill to establish a refundable tax credit for IVF.
“There shouldn’t be this class if you have a certain amount of wealth you can afford to have IVF, but if you don’t you can’t afford to have IVF," Miller-Meeks said. "And I can’t think of anything more pro-life than helping women to bring children into the world, but empowered on her timeline.”
Mitchell said in a race this historically close, turn out could make the difference, and with abortion being such a hot issue in the state recently, turn out among women will be something to watch.
