“Raised by working class parents in a rural town, Christina Bohannan knows firsthand the challenges too many Iowans are facing. In Congress, she’ll be laser-focused on lowering costs, protecting reproductive freedom, and fighting for rural communities. It’s time Iowa had a real leader representing them in Congress – not a DC politician like Mariannette Miller-Meeks who serves her party bosses and special interest donors at the expense of middle class families. The momentum and energy behind Christina’s campaign is proof that voters are ready for change,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties From: Mallory Payne, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: June 4, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Mariannette Miller-Meeks
The last time Mariannette Miller-Meeks was on the ballot during a presidential cycle, she only won by six votes. Now, she’s facing a rematch with Christina Bohannan, who’s breaking fundraising records — significantly outraising Miller-Meeks quarter after quarter — and gaining more momentum than ever.
Iowans know Christina has their backs because she’s been in their shoes. Raised by working class parents in a rural town, Christina learned all too well the obstacles that make it hard for middle class families to get by. Her parents worked tirelessly to make ends meet, but it wasn’t always enough. When her dad got sick and lost his health insurance, Christina’s family had to make the choice too many families are still facing: paying for her dad’s medication or putting food on the table.
That’s why, in the Iowa State House, Christina fought to help families by expanding affordable health care, investing in public education, and standing up for workers. And in Congress, she’ll continue this work by protecting reproductive freedom, lowering costs, revitalizing Iowa’s rural communities, and supporting small farms.
Since launching her campaign, Christina has quickly shown she can build the infrastructure necessary to win in November. She’s outraised Miller-Meeks every quarter (more than doubling Miller-Meeks’ amount raised in quarter 1 this year); she’s broken Iowa fundraisingrecords, including raising the most in an off-year for a challenger candidate, and she’s traveling the district talking to voters about the issues that matter to them, like farming, reproductive freedom, and bringing down health care costs.
Miller-Meeks, on the other hand, is the epitome of a Washington politician who puts her party leaders and special interest donors first. She pushes their dangerous agenda to ban abortion nationwide without any exceptions and voting against lowering prescription drug costs after being bankrolled by the drug industry, then misleading Iowans on her real record.
It’s no wonder independent polling shows Democrats up by four points – voters know that, unlike Miller-Meeks, they can trust Christina to have their back in Congress.
Miller-Meeks Wants To Ban Abortion Nationwide. No Exceptions.
Mariannette Miller-Meeks wants to rewrite history when it comes to her extreme anti-abortion record. Unfortunately for her, her record is crystal clear. She co-sponsored a total nationwide abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the woman’s life. In the state legislature, she voted for a constitutional amendment that would eliminate the right to an abortion entirely in Iowa, and for a bill that would threatenaccess to abortion, IVF, and contraception.
Miller-Meeks is desperate to distract from this record, so she signed onto bogus contraception and IVF legislation that in reality does absolutely nothing to help women…but does conveniently allow her to mislead voters when pressed on reproductive freedom.
Let’s look at contraception first: Miller-Meeks touts a bill she claims expands access to contraception, but advocates have deemed it “essentially meaningless” and “merely an effort by Republican lawmakers to mislead voters.” In reality, Miller-Meeks voted against the Right to Contraception Act, the bill that would have guaranteed a woman’s right to obtain birth control.
It’s the same deceptive tactic with IVF. If Miller-Meeks actually supported access to fertility treatments, she could have signed onto a bipartisan bill that would protect the right to IVF. Instead, she signed a non-binding resolution that has been called “useless” and “disingenuous.”
Miller-Meeks will say and do anything to trick voters, but her record tells them everything they need to know.
Miller-Meeks is Beholden to Special Interests
Miller-Meeks is bankrolled by special interests, from the drug industry to insurance companies. Whenever she has the option to line their pockets while raising costs on Iowans, she takes it.
Miller-Meeks has taken more than $140,000 from pharmaceutical companies throughout her career while voting to protect their profits and keep the cost of prescription drugs high. She voted against allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices for seniors and capping insulin at $35 per month, which means she voted against saving older Americans hundreds of dollars.
Miller-Meeks has also sided with insurance companies instead of standing up for Iowans with pre-existing conditions. Miller-Meeks, who has taken more than $210,000 from the insurance industry throughout her career, said she would “repeal and replace” the law that would provide health insurance to 450,000 Iowans with pre-existing conditions, exposing families to loss of health coverage and the enormous unexpected costs that would carry.
Let’s not forget her Wall Street donors. Miller-Meeks received nearly $1,500,000 from the financial sector while supporting a plan that risks seniors’ Social Security benefits by putting it at the mercy of the stock market, boosting Wall Street’s bottom line while our seniors lose the ability to retire with dignity.
Miller-Meeks Furthers Her Party’s Extreme, Dysfunctional Agenda
Miller-Meeks has made it clear that she cares more about helping her party bosses than delivering for Iowans.
To start, she’s been a disaster for public education. She voted to threaten the jobs of up to 145,000 teachers and staff, and cut over $35 million in funding for public education. In the state legislature, she sided with her party and voted for precursors to Iowa’s deeply unpopular school voucher program that diverts taxpayer dollars to private schools.
In Congress, Miller-Meeks has contributed to her party’s dysfunction, helping them earn the title of the most unproductive Congress in modern history. Their total inability to get anything done is hurting Iowans, especially small farms in the district who have been put on the back burner. Amid her party’s complete ineffectiveness, Miller-Meeks has failed to pass a new five year bill, almost a year late.
Even when it comes to bipartisan legislation, she won’t stand up to extremists in her party to do what’s right for Iowa. She voted against bipartisan legislation that’s upgrading Iowa’s infrastructure, investing in rural communities, and creating good-paying jobs – but that didn’t stop her from trying to take credit for it, since she has nothing else to run on.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
New York Times: Republican Women, Fearing Backlash on Abortion, Pivot to Birth Control [New York Times, 8.30.23]
“She had barely opened her town hall to questions when Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from a competitive district in Iowa, was pressed to defend her opposition to abortion rights.
[…]
“Ms. Miller-Meeks then quickly pivoted to politically safer terrain, telling her constituents about how she had also sponsored legislation aimed at expanding access to contraception.
[…]
“Abortion rights advocates argue that the legislation is essentially meaningless and merely an effort by Republican lawmakers to mislead voters about their positions on women’s health. But for the G.O.P. women who are backing it, the bill offers an elegant way to shift the conversation away from the divisive issue of abortion.”
The Gazette: House Democrats’ ad campaign targets Iowa’s Miller-Meeks’ over IVF [The Gazette, 4.2.24]
Wall Street Journal: Democrats Get Personal on IVF, Putting Republicans on Defensive [Wall Street Journal, 3.30.24]
“A congressional race in Iowa is testing whether the national uproar surrounding in vitro fertilization will help Democrats win in November—and potentially tip control of the House in their favor.
“In the state’s First Congressional District, Democrat Christina Bohannan is challenging Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in a rematch from 2022. This time, Bohannan is talking with voters about her personal experience with IVF, leaning into the fight over reproductive rights.”
Des Moines Register: Christina Bohannan, Lanon Baccam have big fundraising quarters in Iowa congressional races [Des Moines Register, 4.16.24]
“Bohannan, an Iowa City law professor and former state legislator raised $820,981 compared with Miller-Meeks’ $378,901.
“The haul puts Bohannan nearly on par with Miller-Meeks for cash on hand, a key metric that shows how much each candidate has available.”
Des Moines Register: Iowa Poll: Likely voters prefer Republican candidates in 3 of 4 congressional districts [Des Moines Register, 3.21.24]
“A Democratic candidate holds a narrow advantage in the 1st District, in southeast Iowa…the Iowa Poll suggests the 1st District could also be competitive for Democrats.”
Quad-City Times: Christina Bohannan holds roundtable on agriculture in Scott County [Quad-City Times, 1.26.24]
PATH TO VICTORY
Democrats held this seat for more than a decade until Miller-Meeks won it by just six votes in 2020. After a tough midterm cycle for Iowa Democrats and a defensive one for national groups, Christina Bohannan is back and building the infrastructure to win, including a significant war chest that’s broken multiple state records.
Christina was outspent 2-to-1 last cycle but that won’t be the case this fall; Christina has outraised Miller-Meeks every single quarter since she’s filed and has just about caught up to Miller-Meeks’ cash on hand, likely surpassing it by the end of this quarter.
Christina will have the resources and infrastructure to get her message out across the district. Her campaign is already organizing across IA-01, with a strong focus on key turnout areas like Scott County, and has knocked on thousands of doors.
Finally, abortion will be even more top of mind for voters this November. Iowa now has an abortion ban on the books – one of the strictest in the nation – and no issue provides a starker contrast between Christina Bohannan and Miller-Meeks: Christina is committed to restoring reproductive freedom, while Miller-Meeks backed a total nationwide abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or to save a woman’s life.
From restricting Iowans’ freedoms to putting drug companies above middle-class Iowans, DC politician Mariannette Miller-Meeks couldn’t be more out of step with voters. They’ll make their voices heard at the ballot box this November.
